Milan's timing is almost provocative: Sorry Kostic! [Bonus Article]

Earlier this week, Milan signed a striker that - by all accounts - has a lot of potential and is worthy of some hype. However, while many would have described this signing as great a few months ago, it would be fair to say that a wake-up call has forced us all to reflect on the impact.

These days, when it’s so important to protect your public perception, football clubs usually have to think twice when publishing a statement. Questions such as “Are we publishing this at the right time?” and “Will the content convey our message in the intended way?” usually come to mind for the press office department, with different approaches needed depending on the topic.

When talking about transfers and more specifically signings, it's obvious that timing plays a huge role. Both in terms of pleasing the fans, either by putting a long saga to bed or by securing a surprise arrival, and also to showcase a business that’s thriving (though depending on the nature of the transfer, perhaps). Indeed, it’s funny what timing can do to a transfer.

On Tuesday morning, Milan announced the signing of the 19-year-old striker Andrej Kostic, who will join from Partizan Belgrade in the summer. While this certainly fell into the aforementioned surprise signing category, you could definitely argue that the timing has affected the perception. In light of Italy’s failure to qualify for the World Cup, it’s a signing that can be seen as - dare I say - rather provocative.