A New Beginning [Newsletter]

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Feb 06, 2025

Needless to say, the January mercato ended up being chaotic on all fronts with Milan completing the rumoured revolution, albeit not in the shitshow fashion that some fans had feared. If anything, it was quite the opposite as the Rossoneri managed to get good deals over the line despite the hourglass running out of sand. And yesterday, we got to see a glimpse of a new beginning.

We have said it before - in the latest podcast, the financial breakdown and our Discord server - but it is worth pointing out again: that was one stressful mercato. In total, the Rossoneri brought in five players and parted ways with seven, which is truly unprecedented for a January window. At the very least, it is something we haven’t seen in many years, which says a lot.

The prayers of the fans were finally answered as Giorgio Furlani and his colleagues found a way to spend more money, disregarding the €20m transfer cap to complete the signing of Santiago Gimenez. Not to mention that the six-month loan of Joao Felix could cost around €8m in the end (if the credible reports are correct). In short, a very uncharacteristic mercato for RedBird.

Although this revolution had been hinted at in the media, Milan fans still had their doubts and understandably so, fueled by the fact that everything seemed to happen late on. The Rossoneri management certainly left things very late and while that is inherently a negative thing, it’s equally true that they pulled everything together in the end, while the signing of Joao Felix arguably wouldn’t have been possible earlier.

In any case, as a lot has been said about the mercato and the transfers already (remember to read our financial breakdown), let’s focus on the remainder of the season. The signings have undoubtedly resulted in new-found optimism and most would agree that yesterday’s Coppa Italia clash against Roma, in which Milan prevailed 3-1, was a glimpse of a new beginning.

You could certainly argue that Sergio Conceicao’s arrival alone was the true ‘reset’ of this team, but he was never afraid to let the management know - even publicly - that Milan needed reinforcements to effectively make his style of play possible. So if bringing in the Portuguese manager was hitting the reset button on the 2024-25 masterplan, then making the signings was getting plan B up to speed.

The upcoming games against Empoli, Hellas Verona, Torino and Bologna will be telling in the top-four pursuit, while getting past Feyenoord in the Champions League play-off holds financial value. In short, although the signings were made with a long-term view, their value for this season will be made clear in just a few weeks. Exciting, of course, but equally scary.

News Bulletin

➤ Milan Futuro clinched three crucial points against SPAL to begin the month, beating them 2-1 thanks to goals from January signings Magrassi and Quirini. Kevin Zeroli headed to Monza on loan, Hugo Cuenca left permanently for Genoa and Dariusz Stalmach departed for Magdeburg, but Simone Branca was signed.

➤ AC Milan Women kept their Scudetto play-off hopes just about alive by beating Sassuolo 3-2 in a thriller on Saturday. The hosts went 2-0 up by Valery Vigliucci, Evelyn Ijeh and Sara Stokic scored in a fantastic comeback, with the Rossonere having 28 shots and deserving the win.

➤ Thanks to a 3-1 win against Bologna at the weekend - which included a goal from Mattia Liberali - Milan Primavera extended their unbeaten run to three games in the league. Then, they booked their place in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia after beating Inter in a penalty shootout on Wednesday after a 2-2 draw in normal time.

➤ Some fascinating background has emerged on Milan's winter additions, such as the boom that 'Gimenez-mania' has caused in terms of shirt sales, particularly overseas. Joao Felix rejected Inter and apparently already wants a permanent Milan move, while Galliani only let Warren Bondo go because it was Milan and Riccardo Sottil was signed with 90 seconds left.

➤ Having both been seemingly close to leaving in January but saying no, a sliding doors moment has presented itself to Strahinja Pavlovic and Fikayo Tomori, who each seem comfortable in the new-look back four with Kyle Walker on the right. Ismael Bennacer did want to go though, and there was a bitter feeling about his exit despite the emotional goodbye message he posted.

➤ Our long reads over the past week include a Devil’s Advocate on Conceicao’s ‘Sinatra’ approach, a look at how the squad list and tactics change after the winter window, plus player analysis pieces on Santiago Gimenez and Warren Bondo. There was also a post-derby tactical analysis too.