The signing of Gianluca Lapadula this week seems to have
taken everyone by surprise. And perhaps no one is more surprised than Pescara,
who were pursuing a deal with Napoli for the 26 year old Serie B top scorer
while entertaining offers from Juve, Sassuolo, and more. With Berlusconi in the
hospital after having heart surgery and surrounded by young nurses, he was
undoubtedly seeing more action than Milan’s transfer plans… or so we thought.
We were all lying around scrolling past the very occasional rumor and waiting
for news of a new coach or new owners. Meanwhile, The Condor swept in and
grabbed Lapadula with his gnarled talons and snatched him out of the hands of
our rivals. So what does this mean? Was this stage one of an actual plan for this
summer? Or simply a warning shot to our rivals and others that somehow
Berlusconi and Galliani are still breathing and not to be trifled with?
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| Did the Condor strike? Or is this still a sinking ship? |
It’s hard to believe that Milan have a plan. Considering
that virtually everything they’ve done in the past four years not only was a
disaster, but a disaster in the worst possible ways. Like even if their plan
was to destroy the club and take down it’s value and eventually entertain
offers to sell it at much less than it was worth four years ago, even that was done
poorly. No, the way they’ve behaved and managed the club was worse than an
unruly teenager with a developing drug habit. They might be the only ones who
still believe there was an actual plan for changing out 70+ players, 5 coaches,
and the hearts and loyalty of all Milan fans in only four years.
Of course, if you believe that Berlusconi’s plan was to take
the club back down to where it was when he bought it, then purchasing a Serie B
star for €9m in three installments makes almost as much sense as purchasing
Alessandro Matri from a rival for €4m over four years’ time. But this player is
different. His career has been on a definite upswing for the past three years,
and he is only 26 years old.
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| He signed, he passed his medicals. So far, so good. |
Perhaps the most confusing part of it all was that he was in
such high demand. After being released by Juventus as a youth player because he
couldn’t keep up with his studies, he climbed up the ranks of the lower
divisions slowly until that same club wanted to sign him for their bazillion
Scudetti-winning senior team. As did Napoli, Sassuolo, and Premier League title
winners Leicester. He could have gone to almost any team, and yet now he’s a
Milan player. A Milan player at a time when who will coach or even own the team
next week is completely uncertain.
So was this a plan? That’s so very hard to believe. Or was
it one of Galliani’s last stands? A deal to try to prove everyone wrong who
believes that he’s completely lost it? Was it his way of leaving his mark on
the club? Or his way of proving his worth to potential new owners and trying to
save his job? These possibilities are far more likely, but unfortunately,
proving them rests squarely on the shoulders of a 26 year old striker who has
never played a Serie A match. A striker who is coming into Milan on the heels
of dozens of other players who were more successful and more experienced. (Yes,
even you, Matri. Now go back into your hole and don’t come out until Milan have
finally paid you off.) Even if ex-Milan player and now Pescara coach Massimo
Oddo may have tipped off the old buzzard and influenced the player’s choice,
you’ve got to admit it feels great to beat those other teams to a player in
demand.
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| The only way to know if this signing is part of a bigger plan is to make some other needed changes |
This signing could also symbolize more things to come. Was
it an awakening of activity at Milan ahead of whatever changes (or not) that
should be on the horizon this summer? Like the reports from Mediaset that Milan
will name their coach on July 1st. Not that this should be a surprise, given
that Brocchi’s contract should be up right about then, and they’ve got to
extend him or have a new coach by the time the players return to Milanello the
following week. There are more rumors that a deal for the sale of the club will
be announced July 7th, but having lived through the Mr. Bee saga, we should all
know not to trust a Milan deadline. Still, something’s got to give. Was this a
sign that things are finally moving?
Most likely, this was a singular warning shot. Whether it
was an attempt to prove Galliani’s worth to rival clubs, to himself, to
Berlusconi, to fans, or one last chance to cover up the Matri debacle, it’s
very difficult to see this as a piece to a larger puzzle. Unless, of course,
that puzzle is Berlusconi’s all-Italian dream team. But let’s
not go there. It would be nice to think that for once, Galliani did
something right again. Like when we hijacked Bonaventura from Inter. But how
this deal will be remembered will depend on time and the performance of a much-wanted
player. And for now, I’m going to hope that our rivals take it as a warning
shot, fired from the bow of what appeared to be a sinking ship. Or at least
that’s what Galliani will surely be telling himself.
This post inspired by the music of The
Kills’ “Doing it To Death”