Week 23: Milan – Inter With Transfer Deadline Hours Away

The month of January started well with new coach leading Milan to a SuperCoppa win in Saudi Arabia. Excitement at Conceicao’s compact and demanding style rose hoping to ignite players into better shape and form. Results since have not matched the early expectation. There have been wins but mostly laboured and losses to Juventus and a poor loss to Dinamo Zagreb this midweek have raised questions again.

The Champions League loss in Zagreb deprived Milan of a top eight spot in the new format UEFA competition. Less money and an extra home and away playoffs (versus Feyenoord) await Milan. Milan is also still eighth in the Serie A table.

The winter transfer window closes on Monday February third and Milan have so far been quiet but mentioned often in rumours, as is typical. Whether by design or forced into action by the Champions League result The last hours of the window has the team moving. Calabria is already on his way to Bologna, his summer expiring contract making it a cheap operation for Bologna. Morata’s time at Milan is to last six months with the Spanish forward off to Galatasaray on loan. Tomori has been the subject of a Tottenham bid but seems likely to stay. The quoted transfer fee for the English defender is €30 million. This amount is what was paid for him 3.5 years ago when he was a younger player with little top flight experience and without a Serie A trophy. Surely Milan can demand more.

Santiago Gimenez is set to become a Milan player. The Mexican Feyenoord forward is set to replace Morata with the hopes of a longer term impact. Ironically his move was developing as Milan were paired with the Dutch team in the Champions League playoffs.

The derby is set to feature a Walker debut alongside Tomori, Pavlovic and Theo. The quartet will in front of Maigana will need to show good form to contain Marcus Thuram, Lautaro Martinez and co. The switch to a 4-3-3 without a suspended Fofana means Bennacer, Reijnders and possibly Mussah will play in midfield. Leao, Abraham and Pulisic are the likely front three as Milan don’t have that many options. The subs are set to be Chukwueze, Okafor, Jovic and Camarda. Okafor is being offered to others, Jovic is always an exit candidate and Camarda may be set for a dry loan, possibly to Monza, all in the name of more playing time. Some would say he can and should be the getting that time at Milan.

Inter’s squad is relatively healthy with recent absentees Hakan Calhanoglu and Francesco Acerbi available to play.

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