January Transfer Window: Update

Here is an update on some of the moves that have been finalized and some of the latest rumors swirling around Italy (as of 1/31/14)

Completed transfers/loans (with club & est fee)

Cagliari DEF Lorenzo Ariaudo >----> Sassuolo (buy)

Genoa MID Francesco Lodi >-----> Catania (undisclosed)
Cagliari MID Radja Nainggolan >-----> Roma (€3mil loan w/ opt to buy for €6mil)

Boca Juniors MID Leandro Paredes >-----> Roma (loan)

Roma MID Michael Bradley >-----> Toronto FC ($10mil)
Roma FWD Marco Borriello >----> West Ham (loan)
Roma DEF Nicolas Burdisso >----> Genoa (undisclosed)
Manchester United MID Anderson >----> Fiorentina (loan w/ buy out clause of €6.5mil)
Milan FWD M'Baye Niang >-----> Montpellier (loan)
Milan FWD Alessandro Matri >----> Fiorentina (loan)
Milan DEF Jherson Vergara >----> Parma (loan)
Milan FWD Andrea Petagna >----> Back From Sampdoria loan
Milan MID Antonio Nocerino >----> West Ham (loan)
Valencia DEF Adil Rami >-----> Milan (loan)
CSKA Moscow MID Keisuke Honda >-----> Milan (free)
Chelsea MID Michael Essien >----> Milan (free)
QPR MID Adel Taarabt >----> Milan (loan w/ option to buy for €7mil)
Genoa DEF Thomas Manfredini >----> Sassuolo (buy w/ undisclosed fee)
Udinese MID Alexander Merkel >----> Watford (loan)
Hellas Verona MID Jorginho >----> Napoli (€5mil)
Juventus DEF Paolo De Ceglie >----> Genoa (loan)
Juventus DEF Marco Motta >----> Genoa (loan)
Al-Ain FC MID/LW Michel Bastos >----> Roma (loan for €1.1mil)
Catania MID Panagiotis Tachtsidis >----> Torino (loan)
Catania FWD Maxi Lopez >----> Sampdoria (free)
Torino DEF Danilo D'Ambrosio >----> Inter (€1.5mil)
Inter DEF Alvaro Pereira >----> Sao Paulo (loan)
Napoli FWD Eduardo Vargas >----> Valencia (loan)
Napoli DEF/FWD Pablo Armero >----> West Ham (loan)
Parma DEF Djamel Mesbah >----> Livorno (undisclosed)
Barcelona B FWD Antonio Sanabria >----> Sassuolo (€4mil)
Lazio FWD Sergio Floccari >----> Sassuolo (€1.9mil)
Lazio MID Hernanes >----> Inter (€20mil pending medicals)
Southampton FWD Pablo Osvaldo >----> Juventus (free loan)

Rumors (a handful of many. Many have cooled of late)

Lazio's Marchetti or Genoa's Perin to Milan this summer
Parma's Biabiany to Milan
Manchester United's Nani to Milan or Inter

If we forgot any, please notify me via our twitter page @ACMilanBros

2013 Wrap-Up/2014 Preview

2013 Wrap-Up: Milan v Inter, December 22nd

The final match of the calendar year for Milan was a critical one as they faced off against their hated rival, Inter. After a disappointing draw v Roma earlier in the week, it was Milan's last chance to salvage something from such a poor season.

The Derby della Madoninna between Milan and Inter was neck and neck for nearly the entire match. Each side had chances to take control of the 3 points at stake but failed to do so until Chelsea target Fredy Guarin assisted an 86th minute Rodrigo Palacio back-heel goal to give Inter the lead late, leaving Allegri's side scrambling to grab a point.

In the 90 +3 minute, Sulley Muntari was dealt a red card after knocking down Inter's Kuzmanovic in support of teammate Kaka. A few chances late but nothing to show for it as Inter took 3 points away from the first of two meetings between the sides. Milan go into the break with a big loss to Inter, 19 pts from 17 matches and a 13th place spot in the league.

2014 Preview

Milan go into the break in 13th place. Disappointment isn't enough to describe this Milan side, a side former Milan midfielder Zvonimir Boban stated "used to be a serious club." Former players coming out and publicly bashing the club once feared by everyone is not a good sign. Milan open up 2014 v Atalanta on January 6th.

As for the January transfer window, there are a few players that have already been announced as official transfers: Adil Rami and Keisuke Honda. Milan hopes these two players can help propel them back to the top of the table. One player already loaned out as of this past week is M'Baye Niang, who will finish the season with French side Montpellier. The teenager hasn't quite lived up to the hype placed upon him but you can say he hasn't received the proper minutes to showcase his ability. A loan move abroad should help him develop and regain his confidence.

Two players rumored to be headed to Milan are Torino's Danilo D'Ambrosio and Cagliari's Radja Nainggolan. D'Ambrosio is reportedly nearing a move to Milan in a potential player exchange, which could see Antonio Nocerino or Riccardo Saponara going to Torino. Nainggolan could be headed to Milan in a move that would give them 50% of the Belgium international while Cagliari receives 7million euros + 50% of highly-rated midfielder Bryan Cristante. Details of the negotiations are still being worked out.

January 2013 saw the arrival of Mario Balotelli from Manchester City. His arrival meant so much to Milan and their push to Champions League qualification. I don't think the Milanisti are expecting such an impact to be made by any of the incoming players. However, there is hope that the additions pull Milan out of the Serie A cellar and ignite some sort of push back to the top. At this point, it remains to be seen.-MS

1,000 Strong. Grazie

In November of 2012, two brothers from New Jersey decided to create a Twitter account dedicated to their love and passion for Milan. This page was started so that we would have a place to discuss the red and black with other fellow Milanisti and provide some of those around the world with news and information on Milan, news that perhaps was unavailable to them. We wanted to bring our love for Milan to social networks and make some friends along the way.

Once we started this page, we made it our goal to reach at least 1000 followers from all over the world and share some great times with them along the way. We understood that it would take time to reach this goal and we really needed to be on top of this account when major news broke about Milan. We have live tweeted during matches and have really enjoyed sharing the excitement with the other Milan fans, whether it was a win, loss or draw. We first met a large group of our followers this past summer at Metlife Stadium for the ICC Cup featuring Milan. They welcomed us with open arms to the Milan family and we couldn't have been more appreciative. This is what the page was all about. A family of loyal, diverse Milan fans from all ethnicity, races and ages united on one network.

On December 10th 2013, we finally accomplished our goal. 1000 followers strong. We set a goal, at times, questioned if it was attainable but with help of everyone on Twitter supporting us and spreading the word about our page, we were successful. On behalf of the AC Milan Bros, we thank each and every one of you who have made this possible. From some of our very first followers (you know who you are) to those who joined the party late, we appreciate your continuous support for what we do. A special shoutout to our Northeast friends, AC Milan Club NY/NJ and Milan Club Philly for really helping us get our foot in the door and gain some recognition. Not only are they great  Milan fans but also great people. Grazie to everyone and here is to more good times in the future! FORZA MILAN!!!!!-MS

Milan: A Serie A Circus Act

Stemming from this past summer, the once mighty Milan have become not so mighty. What exists are a plethora of words to describe the club's painfully frustrating start to the season. I'll allow our fellow Milanisti to be creative with such words of disappointment. At times, many of the supporters feel that eventually, something has to give. Something has to go in favor of the Rossoneri. However, with the injuries sustained to the likes of Stephan El Shaarawy, Mattia De Sciglio and the most recent one being Matias Silvestre, it's only fair to point fingers at the highly ridiculed manager, Mr. Allegri, right? The question the Milan faithful want answers to is "How can one club sustain this many injuries? It's one thing to have injuries occur late in the season as the players have gone through a ton of minutes in the Champions League, Coppa Italia and the Serie A campaign. It's another to have virtually every player miss some time just two months into the campaign.

Milan's woes don't end there. The continuous concerns in the defense have cost Milan points on several occasions. Place blame on injuries all you want but Galliani and Berlusconi failed to address Milan's biggest hole this past summer. As a result, the lackluster defending has contributed to Milan's current position in Serie A, 10th. Milan is no stranger to this type of start as just a year ago, they spent quite some time in the cellar of Serie A only to have Stephan El Shaarawy save Milan from one of the worse campaigns in the club historic history. Just a few weeks ago, Galliani finally addressed the defending concerns by inking a deal with the want away French international from Valencia, Adil Rami. Additionally, Galliani and Allegri confirmed the transfer of Keisuke Honda from CSKA Moscow, a move that has been expected since the summer.

Logically, when a club is suffering this badly, it's only fitting that speculation occurs regarding the future of two of the club's elite talents, Stephan El Shaarawy and Mario Balotelli. Rumors spread across social media yesterday about El Shaarawy and Balotelli. Not going too much into this but to keep it short, its just smoke.

Injuries, defending that makes you cringe, social media rumors and perhaps a manager sacking? Come one, come all to the circus act in Milan- MS

Recap: Champions League Group Stage: Milan v Ajax

Milan managed to draw Ajax in Amsterdam in the first of two meetings in the group stage between the clubs. The first half belonged to Ajax who controlled possession and seemingly brought the match to Milan without fear. However, they were unable to get on the scoresheet despite the better half.

In the second half, Milan started to gain back a bit of confidence and created a few chances to score. Even though the momentum started to perhaps even out between the two sides, Milan seemingly looked more than content to walk away from the match with just the one point. However, Ajax had other ideas as they began to apply pressure to Allegri's back line by forcing Abbiati to make a few crucial saves. One of these saves resulted in a corner for Ajax just before injury time was applied. Milan's set piece defending issues are well documented. It showed as Muntari and company failed to mark on the corner and Stefano Denswil headed home the first goal. This goal appeared to be the decisive goal to give the Dutch side a big 3 points after losing 4-0 to Barcelona in their first CL match.

Throughout the match, Mario Balotelli appeared to be fouled quite a bit whether he exaggerated at times or not. In the 90 +3 minute, Balotelli and Milan received a gift from the official as the forward was given a penalty on a poor call. Balotelli quieted the Amsterdam crowd and put it past the keeper to give Milan a point they did not deserve.

Thoughts: The starting squad Allegri appeared to have settled on included Valter Birsa along with Robinho behind Balotelli. However, Birsa was a late scratch which resulted in captain Riccardo Montolivo moving out of position into Birsa's spot and Andrea Poli starting in the midfield alongside Nigel De Jong and Sulley Muntari. Montolivo is not a winger and to play him out of position in his first match back since the injury has left many confused especially when Allegri's hand-picked forward Alessandro Matri started on the bench. Milan surely missed Birsa today as he could have allowed Allegri to keep Montolivo in the midfield where he belongs and he would have given Balotelli a player to link up with.

Milan did not deserve anything from this match. Period. The referee spoon fed Milan an opportunity to salvage a result and if it wasn't for Balotelli's penalty-taking ability, Milan would have been sent home with a very sour taste in their mouths ahead of a huge clash with Juventus. This club needs to find an identity and make it work. Fast-MS

Balotelli starts suspension, Milan draws Bologna & 5 pts in 5 matches. Too early to panic?

Earlier this week, Mario Balotelli was handed down a 3 match ban after the incident in this past weekend's loss to Napoli. Many feel this punishment is a bit harsh but perhaps its the issue of racism that has become more of the headline grabber. Images of Balotelli pleading with the official (left) while he throws the Italian striker a rather snotty smirk has enraged Milan supporters worldwide. Balotelli must know that he is a targeted man in Serie A and he must be able to harness his rage for the sake of his club. As a result of the incident, Balotelli missed the 3-3 draw v Bologna and will be ineligible v Sampdoria and Juventus.

Yesterday, Milan avoided more embarrassment by staging a 2 goal comeback v Bologna to draw 3-3 and salvage their 5th point in as many matches. Many supporters took their reaction to social networks where a portion of the fans felt that for what turmoil the club currently sits in, they will take the result. Others reacted by stating that a 3-3 draw to Bologna isn't something to be proud of as this isn't Milan's nature and way of going about business. The idea that many fans took something positive out of the result is absolutely disheartening and the continuous controversy over Allegri's head still leaves many wondering just what is going on with this club.

A comeback draw v Bologna isn't pleasing. Plain and simple. 5 points in 5 matches is poor any way you slice it despite the laundry list of players sidelined with injuries and Balotelli's 3 match ban. There is enough quality still active to have earned more than 5 points at this point and when is it too early to enter panic mode? After last seasons miserable first half that was heroically saved thanks in large part to Allegri's under utilized forward Stephan El Shaarawy, their is no room for another abysmal start. It's a domino effect that stems from upper management who, despite bringing in Kaká and company, failed to bring in the amount of quality needed for a title run. Factor in Allegri's tactical and formation choices and you have whipped up a recipe for a sub par campaign.

Panicking? Perhaps many are but I stand firm on the assumption that things at Milan cant seemingly get worse. Hang tight and continue to support this beloved club because Milan is a club like none other-MS

OFFICIAL: Kaká returns to Milan

According to many sources close to the situation, Real Madrid midfielder Ricardo Kaká has agreed to a 2 year-deal with his former club Milan on a reported free transfer. The Brazilian has reportedly cut his wages from 10mil euros to somewhere in the range of 4-5mil euros per year with bonuses included. Kaká will fly to Milano to undergo his medicals where he will officially be welcomed back to his loving club.

In the winter transfer window this past January, Milan and Real Madrid reportedly agreed on a deal to bring Kaká back to Milan but it fell apart, ending the dreams of a Milan comeback. It appears that the sale of Kevin Prince Boateng to German side Schalke for 10mil euros gave Milan fans the indication that longtime CSKA Moscow playmaker Keisuke Honda was the primary target to fill Boateng's spot at Milan. However, CSKA and Milan have stalled on negotiations, making a free January transfer more likely. Once this became the case, the Kaká rumors began to stir across the Twitter-verse creating speculation that perhaps the Brazilian will arrive ahead of the summer transfer deadline on September 2nd. 

Milan confirmed their interest in bringing Kaká back to Milan this summer and went ahead to meet with Real Madrid's Florentino Pérez and the club officials to work on a deal. After a weekend of meetings and negotiations, the two clubs agreed to let him leave Madrid and return to Milan on what appears to be a free transfer. 

The formation Max Allegri deems fitting for Kaká could potentially be a (4-3-1-2): Abbiati; Abate, Zapata, Mexes/Astori?, De Sciglio; De Jong, Montolivo, Poli; Kaká; Balotelli, El Shaarawy.-MS