Transfer: Summer Transfers part 4

[StevenF1919]

Journalist gives positive update on Liverpool's Rabiot move

More talk about Rabiot to Liverpool. Same guy though.

I think it's likely he signs somewhere in Italy next summer. Milan would be the perfect fit and Leonardo will be targeting him.

 

[John Pedro]

Rabiot is a terrible fit for a Klopp's side. He simply doesn't have the intensity needed to play that breed of football. He's more suited to Sarri and Guardiola ball, imo. I'm kinda hoping PSG sells/loses him and gets Paqueta so Tuchel can roll with Verratti-Paqueta-Mbappe-Neymar-Di Maria behind Cavani

 

[Evilo]

Paqueta to PSG is almost done, so you'll get your wish.
Rabiot leaving for 0€ is a catastrophe. Leaving is already an awful hit to PSG, but not getting 70M for him is even worse.

 

[Il Mediano]

I think it's likely he signs somewhere in Italy next summer. Milan would be the perfect fit and Leonardo will be targeting him.

Rabiot on a free would be an absolute heist for Milan.

 

[maclean]

Not to cast any aspersions on your posting but I don't think this list is up to much

I think it's not hard to put oneself in the headspace of the compiler, to see what kind of logos they prefer - more graphic, more pictorial, more animal, a touch of the retro chic in many cases, originality. Maybe it's not everyone's cup of tea, but it has an internal logic

 

[John Pedro]

Paqueta to PSG is almost done, so you'll get your wish.
Rabiot leaving for 0€ is a catastrophe. Leaving is already an awful hit to PSG, but not getting 70M for him is even worse.

I'm waiting for more reliable sources about Paqueta to PSG, cause Fox Sports is terrible. Agree losing him on a free would suck financially. On the field, I feel like Adli and Paqueta are going to be better for the club, though.

Rabiot on a free would be an absolute heist for Milan.

If he leaves on a free I'm sure it won't be to Milan. Dude has a lot of suitors in England and even Barcelona has been rumored as a possible destination. Milan simply can't compete with that.

 

[Il Mediano]

If he leaves on a free I'm sure it won't be to Milan. Dude has a lot of suitors in England and even Barcelona has been rumored as a possible destination. Milan simply can't compete with that.

Can't compete how, exactly?

Wages won't be an issue, Milan is a prestigious club/nice city , Leonardo worked at PSG/knows Rabiot, he'd walk into the 1st team/be one of their best players, and Italy doesn't have trash weather like England.

Is it likely? Perhaps not (especially if Barca wants him). But they can certainly give a competitive pitch to Rabiot. Let's not get it twisted ; Milan is really, really wealthy again.

You can't just dismiss them like that anymore.

 

[John Pedro]

Can't compete how, exactly?

Wages won't be an issue, Milan is a prestigious club/nice city , Leonardo worked at PSG/knows Rabiot, he'd walk into the 1st team/be one of their best players, and Italy doesn't have trash weather like England.

Is it likely? Perhaps not (especially if Barca wants him). But they can certainly give a competitive pitch to Rabiot. Let's not get it twisted ; Milan is really, really wealthy again.

You can't just dismiss them like that anymore.

It's not just about money. Rabiot wants to make France NT. He needs exposure just as much as money, I can't imagine him going to Milan when they're most likely missing UCL again. Yeah, they've prestige and money, but clubs like Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham also have it with UCL football to boot.

Personally, I'd like to see Rabiot at Arsenal. Torreira-Rabiot would be a nice partnership. Guendouzi as Rabiot's backup. Ship Xhaka and let Ramsey walk if you can't get Chelsea/Man U to pay for him.

 

[StevenF1919]

Rabiot on a free would be an absolute heist for Milan.

If Rabiot leaves I think Milan is the most likely destination.

It's not just about money. Rabiot wants to make France NT. He needs exposure just as much as money, I can't imagine him going to Milan when they're most likely missing UCL again. Yeah, they've prestige and money, but clubs like Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham also have it with UCL football to boot.

Personally, I'd like to see Rabiot at Arsenal. Torreira-Rabiot would be a nice partnership. Guendouzi as Rabiot's backup. Ship Xhaka and let Ramsey walk if you can't get Chelsea/Man U to pay for him.

Milan is a perfect fit. He'll be the centerpiece of the midfield at one of the world's most prestigious clubs. There's also the Leonardo connection and the fact that he's been rumoured to move to Italy almost every summer for the past 4 years.

If he wants to play in the UCL why in the hell would he go to Arsenal? Milan has a better chance of qualifying than Arsenal does.

 

[John Pedro]

If Rabiot leaves I think Milan is the most likely destination.

Milan is a perfect fit. He'll be the centerpiece of the midfield at one of the world's most prestigious clubs. There's also the Leonardo connection and the fact that he's been rumoured to move to Italy almost every summer for the past 4 years.

If he wants to play in the UCL why in the hell would he go to Arsenal? Milan has a better chance of qualifying than Arsenal does.

I said Arsenal was where I wanted him to end up, not the most likely or logical destination. Arsenal probably won't make it in the PL but they've much better odds of winning Europe League than Milan. Just need one or two CBs and a winger to become a really strong team again.

 

[Cassano]

I think it's likely he signs somewhere in Italy next summer. Milan would be the perfect fit and Leonardo will be targeting him.

If Juve want him they'll get him. They have no competition in midfield for him.

*IF he wants to go to Italy.

 

[StevenF1919]

I said Arsenal was where I wanted him to end up, not the most likely or logical destination. Arsenal probably won't make it in the PL but they've much better odds of winning Europe League than Milan. Just need one or two CBs and a winger to become a really strong team again.

Don't count Milan out. They've got a poor midfield but Higuain is still a world class striker and they've got a coach that has them playing great.

If Juve want him they'll get him. They have no competition in midfield for him.

*IF he wants to go to Italy.

Unless they sell Pjanic I don't see a fit. It's also possible that they go after SMS next summer.

 

[Il Mediano]

It's not just about money. Rabiot wants to make France NT. He needs exposure just as much as money, I can't imagine him going to Milan when they're most likely missing UCL again. Yeah, they've prestige and money, but clubs like Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham also have it with UCL football to boot.

Personally, I'd like to see Rabiot at Arsenal. Torreira-Rabiot would be a nice partnership. Guendouzi as Rabiot's backup. Ship Xhaka and let Ramsey walk if you can't get Chelsea/Man U to pay for him.

Tottenham (and to a lesser extent Chelsea) absolutely do not have prestige that rivals Milan. Only two clubs in England can make that claim, and neither of them are in London. As for money, Milan can go toe-to-toe with either of them in a contract offer and I'm almost certain they can beat out friggin' Daniel Levy , atm.

You don't think Rabiot can make the NT if he plays in Milan? ....Come on, man. I realize the Premier League is the biggest, but Serie A is plenty of exposure. People really need to recalibrate their opinions of Milan. That laughing stock club of 2012-2017 is gone.

....Hold on. You just said he needs to join a CL club ..... and then suggested Arsenal? ....I guess Milan "can't compete" with that , right?

 

[StevenF1919]

Tottenham (and to a lesser extent Chelsea) absolutely do not have prestige that rivals Milan. Only two clubs in England can make that claim, and neither of them are in London. As for money, Milan can go toe-to-toe with either of them in a contract offer and I'm almost certain they can beat out friggin' Daniel Levy , atm.

You don't think Rabiot can make the NT if he plays in Milan? ....Come on, man. I realize the Premier League is the biggest, but Serie A is plenty of exposure. People really need to recalibrate their opinions of Milan. That laughing stock club of 2012-2017 is gone.

....Hold on. You just said he needs to join a CL club ..... and then suggested Arsenal? ....I guess Milan "can't compete" with that , right?

A lot of people forget that many of the players coming up now grew up watching the great Milan teams of the mid 2000s with Maldini, Kaka, Nesta, Shevchenko, Inzaghi, Gattuso, Seedorf, etc. No one outside of England grew up cheering on Tottenham and City.

 

[Cassano]

Don't count Milan out. They've got a poor midfield but Higuain is still a world class striker and they've got a coach that has them playing great.


Unless they sell Pjanic I don't see a fit. It's also possible that they go after SMS next summer.

What you mean?

Khedira is starting every week. Rabiot is better than him at everything.

 

[StevenF1919]

What you mean?

Khedira is starting every week. Rabiot is better than him at everything.

Allegri likes his destroyers in the midfield and from what I've seen of Rabiot (which isn't a lot tbh), he's more in the mold of a Pjanic than a Khedira.

 

[Cassano]

Allegri likes his destroyers in the midfield and from what I've seen of Rabiot (which isn't a lot tbh), he's more in the mold of a Pjanic than a Khedira.

He ran with Pogba and Pirlo, I wouldn't classify them as destroyers... (Tbf Vidal was)

I think he's just making due with what he has.

 

[Il Mediano]

A lot of people forget that many of the players coming up now grew up watching the great Milan teams of the mid 2000s with Maldini, Kaka, Nesta, Shevchenko, Inzaghi, Gattuso, Seedorf, etc. No one outside of England grew up cheering on Tottenham and City.

I think many people forget Milan has new ownership (or didn't know in the first place), honestly.

FFP has restricted you guys in how much money you can spend on transfers, atm , but you can damn well offer competitive wages again. Higuain makes like 20m/year before taxes. Hell, Borini makes more than all but 5 Napoli players.

Once Leonardo and Maldini clean up the books/ Li's mess (which might take a couple more transfer windows) I expect you'll be playing amongst the big boys in the transfer market once again.

Any big time free agent almost has to be linked to Milan at this point. That's all they can spend their money on , so they'll be going hard after anyone with an expiring deal.

 

[John Pedro]

Tottenham (and to a lesser extent Chelsea) absolutely do not have prestige that rivals Milan. Only two clubs in England can make that claim, and neither of them are in London. As for money, Milan can go toe-to-toe with either of them in a contract offer and I'm almost certain they can beat out friggin' Daniel Levy , atm.

You don't think Rabiot can make the NT if he plays in Milan? ....Come on, man. I realize the Premier League is the biggest, but Serie A is plenty of exposure. People really need to recalibrate their opinions of Milan. That laughing stock club of 2012-2017 is gone.

....Hold on. You just said he needs to join a CL club ..... and then suggested Arsenal? ....I guess Milan "can't compete" with that , right?

Rabiot playing exclusively in Serie A and Europe League has almost no shot at the France NT. The laughing stock club of one year ago lol it gonna take more than 3 games and Leonardo to claim that they've really left that behind and are on the right path again. Milan couldn't even beat Crystal Palace for Max Meyer. Just face it, prestige duo to titles of 15 years ago means very little in today's game if your team can't compete for titles now. Liverpool before Klopp had the same problem and they needed to complete create a new culture to become a desirable destination again. You don't do that overnight.

I didn't suggest he should join Arsenal, just said I'd like to see him the because he would fit nicely next to Torreira.

 

[Il Mediano]

Rabiot playing exclusively in Serie A and Europe League has almost no shot at the France NT.

lol... what are you talking about? Honestly.

Benjamin Pavard- Stuttgart
Adil Rami - Marseille
Steven Nzonzi- Sevilla/Roma

Those are just off the top of my head.

The laughing stock club of one year ago lol it gonna take more than 3 games and Leonardo to claim that they've really left that behind and are on the right path again.

Is it? Do realize how easy it is to change perception within football? ... Especially when it's one of the biggest clubs in the world and they have a ton of cash again? Stop.

Milan couldn't even beat Crystal Palace for Max Meyer

No, this is a horrendous example that doesn't prove anything. Meyer was courted my numerous big clubs , but his wage demands were absolutely insane.

Palace are paying him 170k a week , which makes him a top 20 paid player in the Premier League. Milan didn't get "beat out" by Palace , they just aren't completely insane. They dropped out of negotiations like any other sane club would do (and did).

Just face it, prestige duo to titles of 15 years ago means very little in today's game if your team can't compete for titles now.

Face what? Milan's last title was 7 years ago. When was Liverpool or Tottenham's?

Milan can absolutely compete now that they have rich/ambitious ownership again. Projects intrigue players. More so when it's awakening a European Giant like Milan.

You don't do that overnight.

No, you don't. But that doesn't mean the money/city/project wouldn't be attractive to Rabiot. You're making it sound like Milan has no shot at all--- that's just wrong. I'm sure Rabiot's representatives would listen to an enticing pitch by Leonardo.

 

[StevenF1919]

I think many people forget Milan has new ownership (or didn't know in the first place), honestly.

FFP has restricted you guys in how much money you can spend on transfers, atm , but you can damn well offer competitive wages again. Higuain makes like 20m/year before taxes. Hell, Borini makes more than all but 5 Napoli players.

Once Leonardo and Maldini clean up the books/ Li's mess (which might take a couple more transfer windows) I expect you'll be playing amongst the big boys in the transfer market once again.

Any big time free agent almost has to be linked to Milan at this point. That's all they can spend their money on , so they'll be going hard after anyone with an expiring deal.

Once Elliot finds a stable owner Milan should be back on top competing for the UCL. Hopefully the dead wood is cleared out by the end of next summer (Borini, Montolivo, etc). There's a very solid core of Italian players right now with Romagnoli, Caldara, Cutrone, and Plizzari (no interest in keeping Donnarumma around as long as he employs Mino) that Leonardo should be able to build around.

Rabiot playing exclusively in Serie A and Europe League has almost no shot at the France NT. The laughing stock club of one year ago lol it gonna take more than 3 games and Leonardo to claim that they've really left that behind and are on the right path again. Milan couldn't even beat Crystal Palace for Max Meyer. Just face it, prestige duo to titles of 15 years ago means very little in today's game if your team can't compete for titles now. Liverpool before Klopp had the same problem and they needed to complete create a new culture to become a desirable destination again. You don't do that overnight.

I didn't suggest he should join Arsenal, just said I'd like to see him the because he would fit nicely next to Torreira.

Pavard had no problems making the NT playing for Stuggart and Meyer was waiting on Milan to offer a contract and even turned down offers from English clubs but Leonardo wasn't interested. Di Marzio even reported that Meyer was willing to take less money in Milan.

Milan is bigger than any club in England outside of Manchester United. Henry, the best player in Premier League history, wouldn't have even started for Sacchi's Milan squads. Don't underestimate the appeal of playing for one of the biggest clubs of all time located in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

 

[Il Mediano]

Once Elliot finds a stable owner Milan should be back on top competing for the UCL. Hopefully the dead wood is cleared out by the end of next summer (Borini, Montolivo, etc). There's a very solid core of Italian players right now with Romagnoli, Caldara, Cutrone, and Plizzari (no interest in keeping Donnarumma around as long as he employs Mino) that Leonardo should be able to build around.

I think Elliot is going to own the club for a few years at least. Which is a good thing, imo. I think you guys will find your way back amongst the elite even with Elliot in charge.

There's still quite of bit of cleaning up to do and FFP will still be an annoyance for a couple more seasons due to your previous owners. But with smart asset management , you'll still be able to bring in big-time players. Leonardo has gotten off to a fantastic start, imo.

Yes, I think Milan has very nice core of young players to build around. Hopefully Conti returns to his Atalanta form and Calabria keeps growing as well. A young elite CM is exactly what you guys should be looking for.

Personally, I'm fascinated by the Milan project , I've been keeping a close eye on your guys' moves all summer.

Bringing in Kaka and Maldini was a great sign as well.

 

[Cassano]

I feel Milan will make CL, but that is gonna be on the back of Higuain who led Napoli to CL appearances many times. I am not fully convinced by the rest of the make-up of their roster. They were destroyed in the EL tie against a crisis club Arsenal who no one remotely considers as a good team these days.

 

[StevenF1919]

I think Elliot is going to own the club for a few years at least. Which is a good thing, imo. I think you guys will find your way back amongst the elite even with Elliot in charge.

There's still quite of bit of cleaning up to do and FFP will still be an annoyance for a couple more seasons due to your previous owners. But with smart asset management , you'll still be able to bring in big-time players. Leonardo has gotten off to a fantastic start, imo.

Yes, I think Milan has very nice core of young players to build around. Hopefully Conti returns to his Atalanta form and Calabria keeps growing as well. A young elite CM is exactly what you guys should be looking for.

Personally, I'm fascinated by the Milan project , I've been keeping a close eye on your guys' moves all summer.

Bringing in Kaka and Maldini was a great sign as well.

I've heard rumours of some Italian Americans being interested but I'm fine with Elliot owning the club for a bit as they've made all the right moves so far.

I'm not sure if Conti will ever return to his Atalanta form after all of the injuries he's had. He was well on his way to becoming world class but who knows now. Calabria has been excellent this year after a horrendous season last year. Still not sure what to think of him as it's still early but if he keeps it up he's definitely in that core as well.

Kaka and Maldini (along with Gattuso) are the reasons why I'm a Milan fan so this summer was pretty good for me. Love to see these guys coming back, especially Maldini who had been rejecting roles with the club for a while.

 

[John Pedro]

Rabiot didn't make France NT while being a top player at PSG. in order to convince Dechamps, I'd guess he would need to complete dominate while playing against top end competition. N'zonzi was one of the best midfielders in La Liga for years and his Sevilla had a nice showing in the UCL. Pavard was a surprise but France doesn't have the same depth at his position as they do at Rabiot's. Of course, he could join Milan, dominate Serie A and get in the NT, but the odds are better for him if he's playing in the UCL and in the PL.