More of that Moneyball, please [Bonus Article]

As we get closer to the summer transfer window, the reality is sinking in for the AC Milan management: significant reinforcements are needed this summer. It all starts with the new manager, of course, but the directors will also need to build on their positive 2023 summer mercato. Because it was indeed a positive one, given how many of the signings have become integral parts of the team.

Geoffrey Moncada and Antonio D’Ottavio have been easy targets for Milan fans in recent weeks, with the ‘Moneyball’ terminology once again emerging as an insult to their work. However, if we actually take a look at what last summer brought to the club, it’s hard to say that it wasn’t a positive one. And we don’t just mean that in financial terms.

As food for thought, before we get fully stuck in, a commonly used excuse (also by Milan themselves) after the 2022-23 disappointment was that Pioli hadn’t got the right signings to work with. It may have semi-worked as an excuse back then, because the mercato in question was nothing to shout about, but can we really say that now? No, we simply can’t, highlighting once again that we must start from a new manager.

Numbers speak for themselves

Most of the signings made last summer were met with enthusiasm, that was clear among the fans, but there was also a sense of concern. Understandably so, given that many of the signings arrived from less-than-optimal circumstances. Christian Pulisic had scored just one goal for Chelsea, Ruben Loftus-Cheek had struggled with consistency and Tijjani Reijnders had done well, albeit in Eredivisie.