Milan coach Stefano Pioli admits the Rossoneri are ‘working’ on a new defender in January and may need a central midfielder following Rade Krunic’s exit.
Milan have already welcomed Matteo Gabbia back from his loan spell at Villarreal and signed Filippo Terracciano from Hellas Verona this month, but they could get more new players in the winter transfer window.
Pioli said at a pre-match press conference on Friday that the Rossoneri are working on bringing more players to the Stadio Meazza in January, starting with a centre-back.
“Yes, our decisions don’t change and the club are working on it. There are two weeks remaining,” he said as quoted by Milannews.
The Parma-born coach added that Milan need a “complete” defender. “In order to play for Milan, you must be complete, be able to defend, build up from the back and be involved in the attacking play,” he said.
“We need a strong and solid player with important characteristics.”
Pioli confirmed Milan could also sign a central midfielder this month.
“I think there is a chance to do something in the market. We have lost Pobega for a long time. Bennacerr is at the AFCON and Krunic is gone. There can be a chance for an addition, but it depends on the opportunities.”
However, the Rossoneri visit Udinese at the Bluenergy Stadium on Saturday and Pioli is only focused on the pitch.
“Only tomorrow’s game counts, not what we did in the past against them. We are different teams now. They are in a good moment, but the same is true of us,” he said.
“We must be fearless and try to perform at our best. It’s a hard game tomorrow, but we want better results than in the first part of the season. Surely, we’ve had a good week.
“Milan must earn as many points as possible, that’s what we want from every single game. All games are worth three points and we want to take them home tomorrow.”
A journalist noted that Milan had improved defensively since Simon Kjaer’s return, and Pioli seemed to agree. Nevertheless, the Rossoneri boss doesn’t know if the Dane will extend his expiring contract at the Stadio Meazza.
“I know his numbers well because the lad tends to repeat them,” the coach said.
“Simon is a leader. He knows what to say and he takes position. But for all of us, it’s too early to speak about the future.”
Yacine Adli scored his first Milan goal against Roma last week; how is the Frenchman developing on the pitch?
“His mentality has not changed, he’s always been available and focused,” noted Pioli.
“He has always been professional and convinced about his qualities. His last few performances are of a high level. Now there are no longer doubts about his new position, so he’s like a new signing for us.
“I think Adli and Reijnders played very well defensively [against Roma]. They left too much space for Lukaku only once, when Roma earned a penalty. The entire team must be involved in the defensive phase, so we must be ready to sacrifice and communicate.”
On the other hand, Rafael Leao has been struggling in front of the goal and hasn’t found the net in Serie A since September. Where should he improve?
“Surely in terms of precision,” Pioli replied.
“We have the second-best attack, and Rafa is a very important player to us. Even when he doesn’t score, he opens spaces for us. We have slightly changed the way to attack, we keep the ball more, we are more in control of the game, so there are fewer spaces for counter-attacks. Rafa must try to find different spaces, especially against teams that sit deep, but he is a key player in attack for us.
“He is playing more with the team, and the number of key passes and assists has raised, but of course, we expect goals, too. He is always crucial for our attack.”
Lastly, Pioli spoke about players who are still on the sidelines due to injuries.
“There is not a settled time, we’ll make an assessment at the end of the month,” he said.
“In ten days, we’ll meet the doctors to understand the situation for Tomori, Thiaw, Kalulu and Pobega. We must submit the UEFA list at the end of the month, so we must understand certain situations.
“Tomorrow, Pellegrino will complete his recovery by playing with the Primavera. We’ll evaluate all these situations over the last few days of the transfer window.”