Ibrahimovic: ‘Walker an Alpha at Milan, Gimenez has potential’ | OneFootball

Zlatan Ibrahimovic calls Kyle Walker an ‘Alpha’ figure in the Milan locker room and confirms Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez ‘has potential,’ but Sergio Conceicao ‘likes different players’ to his predecessor.

The special advisor to club owners RedBird was sat next to Walker during today’s presentation press conference and spoke to the media about several different subjects, including the on-field row between coach Sergio Conceicao and defender Davide Calabria.

You can read the rest of his comments on that subject here.

When it came to Walker, some eyebrows have been raised by bringing in a 34-year-old right-back from Manchester City, especially as the decision was made before Emerson Royal’s injury.

“Walker was an opportunity and had not been an objective, but it is better to have someone like him than not,” said Ibrahimovic.

“He has a strong character that the team needs, he is an Alpha figure in the locker room. We also feel he could play as a central defender, which he did at Manchester City.”

Can the England international represent a leadership figure in the squad, just as Simon Kjaer and Ibrahimovic did when they joined in January 2020?

“There are two types of leaders, those who are on the field and those off it. When I returned here in 2020, I did both. I believe this team has leaders, but Walker has a great deal of experience and won a lot in his career.”

Ibrahimovic outlines Milan transfer strategy

Official: Kyle Walker joins Milan from Manchester City (picture via www.acmilan.com/it)

The transfer market remains open and Milan continue to pursue a new centre-forward and midfielder, with their sights set firmly on Feyenoord striker Gimenez.

“We are working, we hope to achieve our objectives. We know what we and the coach want,” assured Ibrahimovic.

“Gimenez has a lot of talent and potential, everyone knows he is a great striker. We have some great midfielders and are strong in that area, but we’ll see if there is something we can do.”

Inevitably, the change of coach from Paulo Fonseca in December also means that new boss Conceicao has different tactical requirements in his team, so that also shifts the transfer strategy.

“We had already thought of some players, but this coach likes a certain type of player, Fonseca preferred others. The working method of the club remains the same.”

It is widely reported that Luka Jovic will make the move to rock bottom Serie A side Monza, a remarkable career trajectory for someone who Real Madrid paid €60m for in 2019.

“There is no news, we need to understand what is best for the player,” concluded Ibrahimovic.