When Football clubs are taken over by new owners, there tends to be a huge investment into improving the squad.
Sometimes this can work to a tee, such as when Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea and subsequently won two Premier League titles in his first three years at the West London outfit. Other times, it can become a disaster, as Portsmouth found out as they soon became bankrupt after a whole host of owners and are now playing in League Two, the English fourth tier.
Italian giants#Ac Milan have recently seen Chinese owners, Rossoneri Sport Investment Lux led by Li Yonghong, purchase the club and they are already recruiting fresh and exciting talent, yet can the 2007 Champions League winners return to greatness or will their tumultuous spell continue?
Turbulent few years
The red and black half of Milan and the San Siro stadium, which they share with Inter Milan, have suffered a crisis since winning the Serie A in 2011. Last season’s sixth place finish was their best in four years, having slipped to 10th in 2015.
The seven-time European champions only have one Supercoppa Italiana, Italy’s version of the Community Shield, to show as silverware since their fall from grace. Yet, a new wave of talent, mixed with the rising stars and experienced heads already at the Rossoneri, could see them return to the summit, with talk of them being the next Serie A champions already underway.
Although Juventus have won the last six top-flight titles, the San Siro outfit have signed no few than four players that will improve their strength and depth.
New signings, new Milan
The first was Mateo Musacchio, an under-rated defender from Villarreal, who has previously been linked with moves to Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Barcelona. Next up was 20-year-old Franck Kessie on a two-year loan deal from Atalanta. The midfielder was hugely impressive during his break-out season last year, earning rave reviews for his combative style as well as ability to find the net, scoring seven times in all competitions despite playing just in front of the back four.
The signing of Ricardo Rodriguez was a big statement for Milan, with the Swiss defender having consistently been one of the best left-backs in the past few years at Wolfsburg and was linked with moves to most of the top clubs in Europe before moving to Italy. Then there is the most recent addition of striker Andre Silva, another played from the famous production line that is Porto who have also produced the likes of Radamel Falcao and James Rodriguez in the past.
Building for success
Four players for just over £60m, including Kessie’s loan fee, is not a bad return, when considering they will all potentially walk into the first-team and excel. Keeping hold of 18-year-old wonderkid Gianluigi Donnarumma will also be a shrewd piece of business, as the goalkeeper edges closer to signing a new deal at the club.
While they have yet to build a squad capable of knocking Juventus off of their pedestal, Milan are heading in the right direction and once their new signings start combining with the likes of veteran Ricardo Montolivo, striker Carlos Bacca, last season’s most improved player Suso and exciting young centre-back Alessio Romagnoli, they will be a team to watch and definitely a side that Juventus will be cautious of.
