Grading AC Milan's Summer Transfer Window

Milan's summer was a season plagued with questions as far as upper management goes, which naturally led to questions during the transfer window. The Rossoneri saw the appointment of their fifth manager  since 2014 in Vincenzo Montella, after much discrepancy over who would take over the reins from former youth team manager and Milan player Cristian Brocchi.

Berlusconi (after quite some time) later agreed in principle to sell his beloved Milan to a Chinese consortium led by successful businessman Han Li for $820 million. Due to all the turmoil that surrounded the sale of the club, including financial woes endured by Milan over the past few years, there was not much activity from the Rossoneri in the transfer window. The club said goodbye to ten players and brought on five new ones.

The first signing was Leonel Vangioni on a free transfer from River Plate. The left back made 79 appearances for the Argentine outfit over the span of 2013-2016, scoring five goals in the process. He has yet to make his debut in the red and black, though the 29 year old has made four competitive appearances for the Argentine national team.

Pescara forward Gianluca Lapadula became our second signing, after heavy interest from Napoli and Juventus. The enigmatic forward scored in every way imaginable last year netting 30 goals in all competitions and leading the Serie B in scoring, all while leading Pescara to promotion. Lapadula missed all of preseason with Milan due to an injury, but was able to make his debut in a 2-4 defeat against Napoli, coming on for Carlos Bacca. He didn't play long enough to make a significant impact and received a base 6.0 match rating from WhoScored Statistics.

The third signing saw Gustavo Gómez arrive from from Lánus for just over 7 million pounds. The Paraguayan international offers ruggedness and the ability to play from the backline, something integral to Vincenzo Montella's playstyle. The former Lánus player made his Serie A debut along with Lapadula in the 2-4 defeat at Napoli, however he was handed his full debut due to Paletta's silly red card against Torino. Overall, he played decent but not well enough to assert himself over Paletta, however he showed plenty of promise in his performance.

Milan's fourth signing came over the last month in José Sosa from Beşiktaş for just under 7 million pounds. The experienced veteran will look to add his poise and dynamism to the Italian side, however it remains to be seen if Montella will use him as a regista or play him in a role where he can assert himself as the box to box midfielder he was for his former Portuguese employers. Sosa, much like the previous two signings, also made his debut in the loss to Napoli, though in the short 10 minutes he played he was not able to impose himself and shine the way he has shown he is capable of.

The fifth for Milan happened within the last week as Croatian midfielder Mario Pašalić signed a season long loan deal without an option to purchase from Premier League side Chelsea. The youngster has the capability to become a staple in the Milan side if he puts on a display with the flair and creativity that earned him his move to the Premier League powerhouse. The Croat has not made his competitive debut yet. As well as Mario, Milan managed to add Matias Fernandez on a season long loan from Fiorentina.

Overall, Milan did not have the transfer window they so desperately needed to threaten larger sides such as Juventus, Roma, and Napoli. That transfer period has, however, been had by cross-town rivals Inter. That's not to say Milan made bad signings, as most of them were low profile, low risk high reward situations. Milan was also, briefly, the front runner as a loan option for Arsenal injury misfit Jack Wilshere. The Rossoneri also failed in a mad bid for Chelsea's Cesc Fabregas.

With the purchase from the Chinese consortium, Milan's winter transfer window activity is sure to be bustling and full of life. For now, we will kiss this disappointing window goodbye, and anxiously await the month of January.

Overall Grade: D+