It was one of the most intense days in the recent history of AC Milan’s transfer business as the Italian giants made three signings on deadline day and also announced the signing of Santiago Gimenez from Feyenoord after replacing Spanish international Alvaro Morata, who joined Galatasaray. Among the transfers, the Rossoneri were able to sign Portuguese striker Joao Felix on loan, making it one of the most intriguing signings of the European transfer window. Here’s a recap of what happened on Monday:
- AC Milan signed striker Joao Felix on loan until the end of the season (not yet official)
- The Rossoneri announced the signing of Mexican striker Santiago Gimenez from Feyenoord
- Winger Riccardo Sottil joined from Fiorentina on loan with option to buy included in the deal
- Algerian midfielder Ismael Bennacer left the club and joined OM
- AC Milan replaced Bennacer with Monza’s midfielder Warren Bondo
- Napoli signed AC Milan striker Noah Okafor on loan with buyout option included in the deal
- Monza signed AC Milan’s Kevin Zeroli on loan
Replacing the main striker
AC Milan have decided to replace their main striker during the winter transfer window as they sold Morata to Galatasaray and replaced him with Gimenez for around €35 million. An unexpected decision that comes also one month after sacking former Rossoneri manager Paulo Fonseca and appointing Sergio Conceicao as the new head coach of the club. Gimenez will have to deal with a lot of pressure as the Italian giants have decided to let Morata go during the season, a surprising decision considering AC Milan signed the Spanish international in the summer of 2024. Changing the main striker in the middle of a season is a risky choice, but that’s what the team probably needed after a difficult start to the 2024-25 campaign.
Two key signings
AC Milan were able to sign both Kyle Walker from Manchester City and Joao Felix from Chelsea in the same winter transfer window. Two important signings, but for different reasons. Walker will bring experience and confidence in the same role that saw former club captain Davide Calabria leave the team to join Bologna, while Felix will bring his talent to the attacking sector as he will join his national teammate Rafael Leao and USMNT star Christian Pulisic. Potentially, AC Milan have one of the best attacking sides of the Italian league, but Conceicao will have to find a way to put all of them together successfully. Easier said than done.
Is it too late?
In general, it seems that AC Milan’s revolution was what the club needed in this moment. However, the issues here are not only about the team, because the Rossoneri never lacked signing good players over the last transfer sessions. The club need to stick to their decisions, unlike the last six months. Most of the choices they made in the summer were completely overturned this winter, starting from the manager who was replaced at the end of December. RedBird advisor Zlatan Ibrahimovic brought a new mentality to the club, and that seems to be similar to the one of the current manager, but the club’s culture needs to be created and not changed every six months, because new players and managers will never be in the ideal situation with constant modifications.
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