OPINION: The Most Effective January Transfer Window for Milan

Milan have a few spots to fill in the January window and the management have reiterated that there will not be more than 2/3 signings; here is my take on who to sign!

Lucas Paqueta - Flamengo - $35 million (Transfer)

Paqueta is AC Milan’s first confirmed signing of the January window and is a critical one for the Rossoneri. Paqueta is a creative force to be reckoned with and will inject a much needed urgency and inventiveness in the middle of the park. Paqueta scored an impressive 10 goals in the Brazilian Serie A and helped Flamengo to their 2nd place finish in the league. Paqueta was recognised for his incredible season through his inclusion in the Team of the Year and receiving the silver ball. Paqueta will play a vital role in creating chances from the midfield and introducing some dribbling and skill into the Milan style of play. He is undoubtedly the top transfer for Milan in the January window.

Rodrigo de Paul - Udinese - $18 million (Loan with Option)

De Paul is having a great season at Udinese and is unlikely to have the opportunity to leave Udine in the window. However he should be at the top of Milan’s wishlist if the chance arises as he is exactly what Milan are missing. A strong left winger who can score and put the ball in the box. Thus far de Paul has registered 6 goals and 3 assists in the first half of the season. Moreover he has been decisive scoring the important winning goals against AS Roma and Sampdoria. He received 3 MOTM awards from whoscored.com and has demonstrated his ability to be a gamechanger over the course of the season. De Paul would reinvent the LW position that has been problematic and is needed to spur Milan’s attack.

Yannick Carrasco - Dalian Yifang - $20 million (Loan with Option)

Carrasco is one of the newest rumours to have surfaced but is one of the most intriguing as Carrasco is reportedly concerned over his omission from the Belgian squad and, contrary to the likes of Oscar, Hulk, Paulinho and others, is not playing for a top club in China. Dalian Yifang finished the season in 11th place out of 16 teams despite Carrasco’s 7 goals and 5 assists. In his defence, Carrasco scored against the top three (Shanghani, Guangzhou and Shandong) in his debut season where he continued to prove himself as a big game player - try and remember his UCL Final equaliser against Real Madrid at the San Siro in 2016. Similar to de Paul, Carrasco culd solve Milan’s LW problem as he is a fantastic dribbler and is great at putting in key passes and crosses. He would be a steal for the Rossoneri.

Manolo Gabbiadini - Southampton - $10 million (Dry Loan)

This is an outsider bet but I really liked Gabbiadini at Napoli and saw him as an incredible poacher similar to Edin Dzeko at Manchester City. Gabbiadini started off really well at Southampton but has struggled to remain consistent and has been relegated to the bench. Although it has been a while since his 2014/15 breakout season where he netted 15 times in the Serie A, Gabbiadini is a fairly low-risk high-reward move. Gabbiadini would be returning to Italy and could be a supersub for Milan in games where Cutrone might not be the best fit off the bench. Gabbiadini is used to working off scraps and if he can deliver 5 or so goals off the bench in the next half of the season, he could be an asset for Milan as a short loan option.

Buildlineup.com

This is how Milan could lineup in January with just two additional signings in January. In my opinion, I would want Leonardo to sign Gabbiadini as a 3rd striker, Carrasco as a LW and Paqueta to slip into the LM. I opt for Carrasco over de Paul as it seems like the likelier transfer as I doubt Udinese will let their top performer go and I believe Carrasco can pull a similar display to that of Paulinho at Barcelona. These three transfers would be on a dry loan, loan with an option and an outright purchase respectively ensuring Milan respect the FFP and strengthen key gaps in the squads.

Let me know who could be a better fit for these position in the comments!