Di Stefano comments on Milan’s ‘silent’ mercato: “It’s a very special summer” | OneFootball

The mercato only opened this morning, but there are still no signs of anything being concluded in the days to come, making it somewhat quiet, even if the noise surrounding AC Milan, and the players the club are interested in is growing.

We’re only on the first day of the window, and yet it feels like Milan have been linked with every type of player possible. A young right-back, check – Tiago Santos, to an experienced striker, check – Romelu Lukaku.

Obviously, the list goes on, and it will continue to grow as the window develops further, but for some, it has seemed quiet, solely because nobody new is through the door.

However, you can argue the reasoning for this is Paulo Fonseca not arriving until next week, so it would not make sense to start recruiting massively before he has had a chance to watch players in person and get his grasp of the squad.

Speaking to Radio Rossonera, Peppe Di Stefano took a chance to evaluate the situation.

“Something can happen… With Di Marzio a few days ago we commented on this: apart from some teams they are all stopped, probably also because of Saudi Arabia: until they unlock certain figures they block the Premier League market, and consequently also that of the Italian teams.

“The current European Championship also coincides. All Milan fans expect something, especially on a numerical level: at the moment the situation especially in attack, thinking of the day of the rally, sees very few weapons available. If on the other departments numerically you are fine, in attack you have to do something, you have to make a big blow.”

Fonseca and the silence of the Rossoneri…

“What will it do again compared to the Pioli course? It will definitely give a little more balance in defence. Today I was talking to a Roman colleague about Paulo Fonseca’s years in Rome: he was very offensive, he made the teams play well but had little balance. But over the last 2 years in Lille it has improved its defensive organisation. Surely this is for Milan.

“I am convinced that the team we will see a minute after the market closes will be different from what we think now: Milan will buy something different. It will be the usual 4-2-3-1 but with a changed physiognomy probably with a full-back, or a midfielder, or a three-quarter or a different striker.

“At this moment there is a silence that on the one hand does not make the fans happy, on the other I want to think that it is part of a taciturn programming that sooner or later will show its fruits. It is a very special summer, the accounts will be made on the last day of the market but with a new coach it would have been better to deliver the team to him as soon as possible. But even with the Europeans in the middle, I believe that Paulo Fonseca the real Milan will start coaching him at the beginning of August.”

Ibrahimovic…

“It was a conference not by Ibrahimovic. Before he was so strong that he never spoke before, but always after the game, he was one who gave the titles. The conference was balanced and prepared: when you become a manager you have to be more thoughtful.

“I don’t know how to judge it as a good conference or not but I am and remain convinced of one thing: if Zlatan Ibrahimovic has taken the field, sooner or later Ibrahimovic will do it. It can’t be a manager, a person, a football man like him who is satisfied with what you sometimes want to make believe: I believe that sooner or later Ibrahimovic will come out. We’ll see if I’m wrong or right.”