A Review of AC Milan Women’s Summer: All Transfers In and Out

It has been an intense summer for the Rossonere. AC Milan Women finished 3rd in the Serie A last season and were knocked out of the Coppa in the semi finals. It was an underwhelming season stemming from a poor start and the side have looked to reinforce in the summer to fight for their first piece of silverware.

The summer has been long for the side. There were a couple of representatives at the Women’s World Cup as Kosovare Asllani got herself a bronze medal with Sweden while Valentina Cernoia and Laura Giuliani did not make it past the group stage with Italy. Sara Thrige Andersen and her Denmark side made it to the round of 16.

The Rossonere took part in The Women’s Cup in Spain and the Amos Cup in with some mixed results as well as friendlies with Atletico Madrid and Paris St-Germain to prepare for the season. Milan’s season opener is a doozy as they start against Serie A Femminile Champions, AS Roma on Sunday.

As with most seasons, there has been quite a bit of movement in the transfer window but Maurizio Ganz’s side has kept it’s core and made some impressive signings.

Here is a look at the window of the Rossonere:

Players OUT

Players OUT

Martina Piemonte - Everton - Permanent

This was a painful one. Piemonte was easlit one of the best players last season. She was our top scorer with 13 goals in the league putting her third in Capocannoniere race. She had a tough summer as she was snubbed an Italy call up for the World Cup but was already seemingly out for a new adventure. She joins Everton FC and will play in the England in the Women’s Super League (WSL). It is tough to see her move after her most prolific season at a high level and seeing the positive impact she had as a driving force for us last season.

Lindsey Thomas - Juventus - Permanent

This is a mixed one as Thomas had a massive opening season and then faded last year. She started strong on with 14 goals in all competitions in 2021/22 but fell to just 5last year. She did not occupy a focal role compared to her time at Roma hence this might’ve fuelled her decision to leave. It is a massive problem for her to join rivals Juventus as she will likely strengthen their side quite a bit.

Noemie Carage - Saint-Etienne - Permanent

Her one season comes to an end without much of an impact. Only 4 appearances off the bench in the league for the defender. A move away made sense.

Verena Beka - Chievo - ?

The 19 year old keeper joins Chievo Verona likely for more playing time and to develop. It is unclear if this is a loan or a permanent move. She is yet to play for the Rossonere.

Aniek Nouwen - Chelsea FC - End of Loan

The Dutch defender was a standout in the second half of the season. She did so well that she earned a call up for the Women’s World Cup and played two games off the bench. The 24 year old is a much better player after her 6 months in Italy but will be missed by Milan.

Nesrine Bahlouli - Bordeaux - Loan

The former Lyon youngster found it hard to come by minutes with Milan making just 3 appearances off the bench last season. She joins Bordeaux to build some confidence and grow to fight for a place at Milan.

Oona Sevenius - Como - Loan

The 19 year old Finnish attacker also struggled to play at Milan with kust 2 appearances off the bench in the league. She joins Como on loan to develop in the league and try to find her shooting boots as she scored 16 league goals for HJK before joining Milan.

Players IN

Gloria Marinelli - Inter Milan - Permanent

The 25 year old makes the switch across city rivals. She has never been a prolific goal scorer but has a decent output as she delivered 21 goals over 4 seasons in the league. She is more of a creator than a scorer and will be the one to watch in the box as she makes things happen for all those around her.

Petra Mikulica - ZNK Split - Permanent

The 18 year old Croatia will add depth to the side. She gets regular call ups from the U19 and now has some senior caps under her belt. She broke out at ZNK Split last season getting a goal in the Champions League earning this big move.

Andrea Staskova - Atletico Madrid - Permanent

The Czech forward joins on a free transfer from Atletico Madrid, Serie A Femminile fans will recognise her from her time playing for Juventus in where she scored 25 goals in 3 seasons across all competitions. She had a muted year in Spain with Atletico scoring just 3 goals but will look to exploit the league she knows well. At 23, she has lots of room for growth.

Allyson Swaby - Angel City FC - Permanent

The Jamaica international is the big signing of the summer following her strong performance at the WWC as captain of her side. She joins from Angel City FC after a tough season and a half there and will definitely be looking to relaunch he career. She played 6 months with PSG last year and showed she is still a strong performer. She knows Serie A well from her 4 season with AS Roma and has lifted the Coppa Italia. She can bring some order and solidity to our backline where we struggled last season.

Valentina Cernoia - Juventus - Permanent

An incredible short term move as there are few players more experienced that the Italy international in Serie A. She has spent the past 6 seasons with Juventus as a key cog in their dominant midfield. At 32, she has won 6 Serie A titles, 6 Coppa Italia and 6 Supercoppas. She is a winner and can teach the rest of the squad how to win at all costs.

Julie Piga - FC Fleury 91 - Permanent

The French-Italian defender adds a big element to the backline. She played 61 league games over the past three seasons showing her ability to hold down a spot and scored a solid 7 goals from centre back. She played for France at the youth level but opted for Italy as a senior now and has been called up for the side.

Emelyne Laurent - Bayern Munich - Permanent

Laurent is a gamble for the attack as she is not an out-and-out striker who gets big numbers. She has a solid CV having played for Lyon, Atletico, Bordeaux and Bayern but her best season is 7 goals in La Liga, three years ago. She plays for France at the international level but has not been capped in 2023.

Matilde Copetti - Napoli - Permanent

The keeper joins from Napoli to add depth. She has been around for a while at Tavagnacco and Napoli. She has experience in Serie A and will be a good back up option behind Giuliani and Babb.

Giorgia Arrigoni - Hellas Verona - Permanent

The youngster broke out while on loan at Parma last season and is an exciting prospect. The 18 year old will not likely get much playing time but could likely play with the Primavera to develop further.

Overall Review

The squad now has Serie A winners in Cernoia, Adami, Giuliani, Guagni, Vigilucci, Staskova and Coppa winners in Swaby and Soffia amongst some of the league winners. We also have UWCL winners in Piga and Laurent. Most of the squad have won something either in Italy or abroad so Ganz has a side of players who know the taste of victory and he needs to use this to get Milan their first ever major piece of silverware. A good mix of youth and experience in the stating line up. Players such as Grimshaw, Bergamaschi and Fusetti know Ganz’s system and form the core while new additions such as Swaby, Marinelli and Laurent offer new avenues. We have players coming off a World Cup looking to make a big impression and fighting for some silverware. It will be interesting to see the competition for places in attack as Dompig, Asllani and Jonusaite have to earn their minutes with Staskova, Marinelli and Laurent looking to break in.

A big season awaits with a totally revamped attack and a more experienced backline.