Rating AC Milan’s Summer Transfer Window 2021/2022 Part 1

Wow! What a wild summer it has been for AC Milan and the rest of the footballing world. This summer transfer window saw massive stars move around Europe and many of the teams in Serie A selling off some of their best talents. However, the league is still strong with talented players and many teams that could compete for a Champions League spot. Let’s take a look at how Milan did in the summer transfer market in terms of buying players. Keep an eye out for part 2 where we will break down all the departures from Milan!

Arrivals

Fikayo Tomori: By far my favourite signing of the summer. Fikayo performed at a very high-level last year and Milan had to buy him, they had no other choice. At a price of around 30 million euros that is an absolute steal for a defender of his calibre. Fik is a modern defender and is a perfect fit for the system that Pioli wants to play. 9/10

Mike Maignan: Milan was quick to find a new goalkeeper and they set their eyes on Lile keeper Mike Maignan. Maignan had a great season last year with Lile and so far in the few matches that he played for Milan, he looks like a great fit for the club. Maignan has shown that he is great with the ball at his feet and he seems to be a vocal leader constantly talking to the defence. Not to mention that they also got him at a bargain price. 8.5/10

Sandro Tonali: This was a little bit of a saga at the beginning of the window. It took weeks for Milan to find an agreement with Brescia for Tonali. However, Milan did end up lower the buy price. Tonali showed a bit of progression last year yes, he was shaky at times but overall, he progressively got better overall. Now in the first two matches of the season, Tonali has exploded even scoring his first goal for Milan. A combination of talent and lowering the fee is a great business for Milan. 8.5/10

Brahim Diaz: Like Tonali, Brahim Diaz got progressively better as the season went on last year. Diaz was on fire at the end of the year and that convinced Milan to bring him aboard again. Reportedly the deal for Diaz is a two-year loan with an option to buy (of course). However, Real Madrid has a buy-back clause that is similar to the purchase price for Milan. Madrid’s buy-back clause is only valid for a year. In my opinion, the tow year loan with an option is a great business for Milan. Then the Madrid buy-back clause comes into play and with that, I don’t like it as much because Madrid can buy him back at a fraction of his potential value. But hey at least we have Brahim for two years. 7/10

Fode Ballo-Toure: Finally, Milan has a backup left-back to give some rest to Theo Hernandez. I didn’t know much about Balo-Toure before Milan bought him. Watching him in the preseason he seems like a serviceable backup. His pace and potentially crossing ability could see him succeed in Serie A and succeed in Milan. It seems to be a good signing and much-needed addition to the squad. 6.5/10

Olivier Giroud: A proven winner, Milan signed Giroud for a very small fee. At one point in the transfer market, it didn’t seem like the Giroud deal would close. Eventually, Chelsea and Milan found an agreement that worked out for both clubs. So far so good for Giroud. His moments and ability are much needed for Milan. I really like the signing as it brings another player with a winning mentality to the club. Yes, he is old, but he is going to contribute on and off the pitch. 7/10

Alessandro Florenzi: Another loan with the option to buy a deal for Milan. I think this is a nice little singing for the club. The loan and buy fee are fairly small and Florenzi brings versatility and another champion. He can play on various positions on the pitch and in the first few matches, he looked decent and seems to be a nice rotational player. 6.5/10

Pietro Pellegri: The average age of the Milan strikers on the roster is around 40, so the addition of Pellegri is a welcome one to try and have someone young who also has some Serie A experience. Pellegri has one of the worst injury histories at such a young age, but I think it is a good gamble for the management. If he stays healthy, he could be a nice player and he is learning from Ibra who is one of his idols. 7/10 (boom or bust potential)

 Tiemoue Bakayoko: Ever since Bakayoko left Milan he wanted to return. Finally, he returns to Milan on a two-year loan with you guessed it an option to buy. This is a nice formula for a deal as it scares a rotational midfielder for the next two years. Now, the question is will Milan use that option to buy. There have been reports of fees of 15 and 20 million euros respectively so only time will tell if they do end up making that purchase and if it will be worth it. 6.5/10

Yacine Adli: This was a strange transfer for me. I do see the talent in Adli, but I don’t really know what position he would play in this Milan team. For Bordeaux he plays more as a mezzala and growing up in the PSG youth system he played more like a 10. I think this transfer depends on where they see Adli playing. If he and Brahim and the attacking midfielders, then I could end up liking the idea. However, I don’t see Adli fitting that great into a 2-man midfield and I think that Milan is already pretty stacked at that position. Another aspect of this transfer is his staying at Bordeaux for another year. I believe this was a tactic from Milan to try and lower the transfer fee and if that is the case then I do like that idea. 6.5/10 (could end up much higher depending on where they play him)

Junior Messias: This was a true deadline day deal, and it was a deadline day deal that I don’t think many Milan fans were looking forward to. I tend to agree that Messias isn’t the player that we expected to get after qualifying for the Champions League and I don’t think he is all that amazing, but I hope he proves me wrong. Maldini even said that it will take multiple qualifications to truly compete for trophies. Messias is a decent player and there is no doubt that he will play for the badge, I wish him all the best and do hope he proves me wrong and shocks the world. 5.5/10