It's OFFICIAL now. So nervous, yet also excited.

I never thought I'd see the day.

But does this mean B&G are completely out of the picture?

that is what the media is saying.

I suppose so.

And Babs is gone too.

Fassone is our new CEO, and in fact the only only guard that will remain is Leandro Cantamessa, the lawyer.

It's complete change and Li will be the new president. Berlusconi rejected the honourary role.

tbh I barely care who has come in, to us fans one suit is the same as another. What matters is the money - do they have real hard money and will they invest in Milan quality players?

This summer will be fascinating.

Can I remove my anti-Galliani sig now?

The claim is that they will have money for Summer transfers.

In any case, I feel a tinge of sadness (it is the end of the era, and if we ignore these last years, B&G brought a struggling team to greatness). I also feel excitement (new management, some money for rebuilding the team - at least in theory) mixed with apprehension (the ongoing saga in the last few months has left me with a lot of questions).

Yup.

I agree about Mancini Jack, total dud who has zero vision. Wouldn't touch him with a 20ft pole

I really want to see the new management put their faith in Montella and get completely behind him. Give him a praper squad and I think he'll flourish even more than he already has with all the limitations he's had to deal with

I've personally always been a fan of his coaching style, he did very well at Roma imo when he took the caretaker role, and his Fiorentina team was always a joy to watch and were relatively successful in terms of club objectives for a team like Fiorentina


IT DID!!


Yep, no more shady deals, no more back scratching for Genoa, no more being treated like idiots by Galliani. The circus has finally moved out of town.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciated all that Berlusconi has done for Milan and none of the success we've had would be possible without him, but it's time. It's been time for a few years now and their actions/inaction was ruining the memories of what they'd accomplished

Let's all hope these new owners can take us back to where this great club belongs

I've been worried, but the fact that they've paid up 740m + another 90m for this years running costs has to mean they're serious


We're already being linked with everyone under the sun. it's important to see if these new owners can make a statement signing or two this summer.


I think you can


We'll see. I am equal parts apprehensive and excited to see what the future holds for the club. If these new owners fail I can see it being similar to the Inter situation with Thohir and then Suning. I think what's important now is that Silvio has finally let go and we're out from under Fininvest's clutches.

Live press conference

www.facebook.com/ACMilan/videos/10154351955921937

I'm liking how Fassone is peaking atm

It's archived. Alas I don't understand a word of Italian

From what I gather Berlusconi feels hurt over the whole thing.

Move ahead to around the 15 minute mark, it switches to English

Cheers. Most of the meat and guts have already been quoted in English by the press it seems.

Why? It was his decision to sell (yes, I am sure his children put a lot of pressure on him, but at the end of the day he still calls the shots). It is not as if he was willing to throw money at the club or do something to deal with mis-management. He got good money in the sale (probably more than the club is actually worth at the present time). And, after selling the club, surely he did not expect to still actively manage it?

Mediaset saying that our budget for this summer will be 50 million. WTF?! That's peanuts.

Who owns Mediaset...

Most outlets are in agreement that it's around the 150m mark

That and Fassone said that it's a big budget today. I don't know, but I don't think he'd say anything if that's just 50m

That being said, I read that what they will basically do is make the transfer payments in instalments, which is a common practice (not just a Galliani method for doing things) so basically let's say we buy Aubemayang and he'd cost 80m and they make it in 20m instalments. That means the budget is only impacted by 20m for this transfer campaign

Maybe it was a typo and they meant 150 million.

Anyway, Fabregas seems to be the main target right now. I'd be delighted if we signed him, but I would also consider a good holding mid. My priorities:

• CB to pair with Romagnoli (apparently we're in for Musacchio but I don't really know how good he is)
• Holding mid with good feet that can distribute the ball (Badelj?)
• Fabregas
• Top CF (Belotti?)

If we make these four signings our team would be immensely improved and we could easily aim for a CL spot.

I think we need to redefine and rethink our defense. Several players are questionable IMO, and what we need is: a stable, quality and offensive fullback - haven't had that kind of a player in ages (Serginho?); a CB with experience to pair with Romagnoli (not Musacchio, I'd prefer someone more experienced and already a winner) and a reserve seasoned yet good keeper.

Well Cesc would definitely be a dream signing. And honestly Badelj? I was all in for him last summer when we were poor and had a very low bar set for ourselves but we should definitely be looking at better players if we want to make the instant jump in quality to get us into the CL Fassone was talking about

Like I said in the transfer thread, I would personally ignore all other positions if it came down to it and first put my entire sole focus on that midfield

Fillipo, the defence wouldn't be half as bad if it wasn't continually exposed by our mids during long stretches of any given game. Until the issues in midfield are addressed it's pointless to spend big on a striker or defender (like we have done in the past already), the problems we have now will still persist

The Cesc rumours if even fractionally true and we're just interested in him already give me great hope, as it means that Mirabelli is already looking at the right pofiles.

For me, the priorities would go as follows:

Tier 1:
1. Regista - Could it be Cesc, my mind tells me it's wishful thinking, my heart is telling me to get excited
2. Box-to-box mid that's good on both sides of the ball - Absolute dream would be Radja and if we have the cash I personally think it's possible if the player would be willing to come. Still if Radja is not a possibility there are other options out there, as long as Kucka is moved to the bench

Tier 2:
1. CB - Yeah Musacchio is a big question mark for me, mostly because I've never seen him play and he has a spotty injury history, My personal choice would be De Vrij, there are reports Lazio want 20m for him, that's very do-able for us and he'd instantly improve our backline, plus he's Seria A proven. Also, what do you think of Fiorentina's Rodriguez? He doesn't want to renew his contract and could be a low cost solution for the bench which would allow us to move Zapata and Paletta on
2. LW - We have Deulofeu now, but I think he's gone in the summer, and even if we do manage to keep him our options in that position are very limited, if Suso or Deu are out we're screwed. Moving Bona there was an option but I think he was much more effective in midfield at the start of the season, plus we have no way of knowing how he'll do when he returns from injury

Tier 3
1. LB - I want to see us give DS one final chance at RB. We need to bring in a proper LB either way
2. CF - Belotti would be a dream but we've been linked to Aubameyang and Benzema more than him, I don't know if he's even on the radar atm

Nainggolan? No thanks. We need professionals and players who'll bring in positive attitude and mentality, not poison for the whole squad.

First, we have to sell or loan out a bunch of unnecessary/not fitting players like Paletta, Vangioni, Montolivo, Bertolacci, etc. Then we have to take into account that some players, like Bacca, could very well leave or be sold.

So I think next summer will be crucial. We should be signing 2-3 top players (striker if Bacca goes, midfielder, winger) and a few talents or potentially very good players to solidify the midfield and the defense. Yes, much of the trouble was caused by the midfield yesterday. But that doesn't exclude MDS from being piss poor.

All great or at least CL-position teams have good to great fullbacks. All of them have fullbacks who can defend and attack. We don't have a single fullback who is capable of penetrating (bar Abate sometimes) the opposite defense and causing real trouble. MDS, Antonelli, Calabria and Vangioni are nonexistent options.

And what's that with giving MDS a chance as right back now? Han, you were one of the most ardent critics when coaches put him on the right. What's changed? I think you're grasping for a hail mary here.

You kidding me?! You don't want Nainggolan?!

First, you wouldn't want Nianggolan? Say what? Imagine him and Fabregas in a double pivot or part of a 3-man midfield. 70% of our problems in both attack and defence would be instantly solved imo

Sure, getting rid of the excess (Bacca included here) is a must, but we're no longer in a position where we have to sell one player before we get another (Galliani's famous; If someone leaves he will be replaced if everyone stays we're good as we are). I have no doubts that certain players will be moved on and it is a pressing matter but not as much as it was before as we don't have an unnaturally oversized squad like we have had in the past

Look, I think DS is a good defender, he's not so good going forward, no doubt about that. Did he have lapses yesterday? Yes, but so did Romagnoli, Calabria and Donna. When your midfield is constantly exposing your defence to one on one situations the errors we saw yesterday will continue to happen. That's why I have said before and will keep on saying until I'm blue in the face, that until the midfield is fixed, we can spend all the money we want on the other areas of the pitch, it's not going to fix our problems

As for DS, he's played on both sides this year, and I was far more impressed with him when he played on the right. And you are correct, that in the past I was a staunch advocate for him being used on the left as he always showed better performances there and not at RB. But THIS season when he has played at RB he's been better imo


This

Nainggolan is as professional as professionals can get. A true example on the pitch. You're completely wrong here, Fillipo. Don't be fooled by his tattoos and hairstyle. Beckham was also flamboyant, but in the words of Ancelotti, he was the most professional player he's ever trained.

That being said, I don't think Roma will sell him.

Well, Roma have shown in the past (more than once) that if you offer them enough money they'll accept it.

It's mostly a matter of whether we can offer them that money and if the player wants to come to a rival team

The transaction on a whole cost the Chinese a tad over one billion euros. This transaction is a mix of equity and debt, hence the Elliot fund. The funds were routed to settled Milan's debt (which today is zero, the absolute lowest amongst all top clubs world wide), the running costs and acquisitions during the past season, The rest is valuation of the club.

After a huge transaction You'd expect the summer transfer window to be very promising no? Well yeah, but I wouldn't want them to go for anybody, I'd rather they build the team gradually over the next two/three years. Preparing a team capable of representing Milan. Not a new Galacticos.

You know, I’ve been skeptical for a while now considering all the delays and set-backs in the entire takeover process

But I’m definitely getting excited/hopeful now having listened to Fassone in the press conference. And considering that the club was bought for over a billion Euros, I find it hard to believe that this would be some sort of scam. You wouldn’t spend over a billion to let your acquisition rot.

I was also skeptical of the Fassone / Mirabelli picks, but I’ve read many good things on both. Fassone was part of the team that made the Juventus stadium build a possibility, he only spent a limited time at Inter and Mirabelli has really put his working boots on and has been going to the right games, not to mention, the names we’re being linked with are all very encouraging.

I personally don’t anticipate a Galactico type of transfer market either, but I think there will definitely be a substantial budget. What matters is if the correct decisions are made in the transfer market and we don’t waste a lot of money on the wrong players like we have done in the past

Me too, but I stopped short of calling it a money laundering process

It might well be. We might have replaced Italian gangsters with Chinese.

That optimism of yours lasted long

It crossed my mind, but I would think if Silvio wanted to launder money he'd do it in a less public setting.

Now that it's finally done and dusted, I think it's legit. The true test is to see how the club is run over the next few years. And us, as fans, can't really do anything but watch and hope that the club is in good hands

So there is a curve ball to this deal. This Elliot hedge fund based in the US granted €330M to close the deal. The same carries interest of over 11% and is due to be paid back in a year and a half from now as a single payment. The Elliot hedge fund will have no power over the board and will not dictate transfers. Instead receive a written report every two months on the progress and increase in value of the 99.9% shares owned by Rossoneri Sport Lux.

If the new owners fail to pay the 330M back in a year and a half from now, the 99.9% shares in Milan will be transferred to Elliot hedge fund whom will likely sell it off in the market.

That is; things could get ugly if the Chinese don't get their capital released from China in time.

Surely not. Surely only the 330MM worth of shares will get transfered. They can sell it or put it on the stock market to get their cash back.

Apparently 99.9% of Milan shares is the agreement, as security.

Yep

I think this is a common practice, for example when we loan money from a bank here in Malta and it's a substantial amount, you have to make a guarantee (for example your home). If you fail to make your payments, then the bank WILL repossess your home, even if the amount you borrowed is half of what your home is worth

It all depends on the agreement. As a lawyer, I can say that this is not the case in most of the times. Every country has it's own law for execution by which they regulate the procedure of the execution of the debts (or other credits). Usually, for your example, when they sell your home in auctions, they take the money that you own, all the expences of the procedure and they give you the rest. I have not read the contract, but I think that the same way has been regulated the situation of the club. If it would be as you say, it would be a situation when we get "unbiased enrichment" and "damage beyond measure".

BTW the bank will never own your home, it will just get the right to sell it, but never become an owner I don't have much time to explain and my english is not in proper levlel.

EDIT: I forgot to mention, when an international transaction takes place, usually they have clauses in contracts that determine what court is competent to hear the case if any of the party doesn't fulfill their obligation. Usually they are arbitration courts that regulate their procedure by the rules contracted and not some law of any country. As the principle says "contract is the law for parties".

I hear Panucci might be involved in our staff as a team manager [FI]. Would be fine with me.

Rino Gatuso or GTFO!

Got it, I'm not really into the financial mumbo-jumbo of it all. I just know that here, the bank will repossess whatever you guaranteed when the loan was made, don't know the actual technicalities of it. Thanks for explaining, and glad you're back btw

Yeah, heard the Panucci rumours. The management should really make sure to bring back more past players who have a great history with us into the fold, we need to keep our identity as much as possible

Rino has already said he'd be interested, also, how's Sheva doing with that political career? If it's not going well he'd be a great guy to rope in, especially for Eastern European connections. Also, what's Leonardo doing these days? I'd love to have him back in his old role, he was great at attracting SA talents

Thanks

I don't think Sheva is doing much politics. He's the manager of the Ukraine football team. It's Kakha Kaldaze who's into politics and apparently he's doing quite well.