Belotti still on Milan radar

Andrea Belotti has battled injuries and difficult form, but Milan should still take a hard look at him, writes Matthew Santangelo

Andrea Belotti’s 2016-17 Serie A campaign put him on the map not only in Italy, but all over Europe due to his tenacity in the final third and knack for finding the net. His 26 goals saw him finish third in the scoring charts behind Edin Dzeko and Dries Mertens, and ahead of household names like Gonzalo Higuain, Mauro Icardi and Ciro Immobile.

These numbers were all indicative of a breakout few expected early on in his career, prompting several clubs to ramp up their efforts last summer in order to lure him away from Turin.

Milan had him at the top of their shopping list and observed him as the long-term solution to their woes up front. A massive financial injection amidst a club takeover from Silvio Berlusconi by Yonghong Li saw new CEO Marco Fassone and sporting director Massimiliano Mirabelli go hard and heavy at the Torino star, but for many reasons, could not secure a deal.

Most believed Milan’s reported package deal of €60-70 million plus M’Baye Niang and Gabriel Paletta to be sufficient for Belotti given the season he had in 2016-17 - the keyword being season. However, with the Rossoneri spreading this newfound wealth around evenly on a dozen names in a full-fledged squad renovation, they were both unwilling and unable to meet Torino President Urbano Cairo’s €100m valuation for the prized forward, instead opting to look elsewhere.

Fast forward 10 months, and now we are asking: is Belotti is really the man Milan need presently?

Consistency must be shown over multiple seasons if an Italian club is going to shell out the cash. Belotti’s massive drop in form is a bit worrying, as early injuries derailed what promised to be a year in which he’d ascend into the upper echelon of European football’s best young Number Nines.

In 26 league appearances for Toro, the former AlbinoLeffe attacker has notched nine goals and is on pace to fall well short of last season’s tally. However, giving up on one of Italy’s top talents would be inane and short-sighted.

Belotti’s widely considered by many to be the face of the Azzurri’s attack for the next decade, and one difficult season at his age should not render his accomplishments last year obsolete. What we observed in 2016-17 was no fluke either; he has the ability with both feet to confidently score, the desire and strength in the air to win his battles, the hunger to stir up trouble and a flexible tactical skill-set that could see him adjust in different systems. This leads us back to our initial question: is he the right player for Gennaro Gattuso’s Milan?

Assuming the club pulls the plug on Nikola Kalinic after one miserable season, and elects to go with both Andre Silva and Patrick Cutrone up front. Gattuso, now confirmed for next season after signing an extension until 2021, may elect to tinker in the summer with his formation and play with two strikers up front – or at the least work it into his arsenal. Belotti can play either as a lone man by himself with supporting wingers in a 4-3-3, or next to a complementary forward with a contrasting profile.

Belotti and Cutrone share some similarities in that both rely on intelligently timed movement and an unwavering work-rate to get into optimal scoring positions, although the former is more explosive. The two, along with Andre Silva, could likely co-exist up front in a 4-3-1-2 with a supportive playmaker to link between the midfield and attack. In any case, Gattuso will have the full summer to re-evaluate and survey the market to get the proper personnel in place.

If Belotti became a target once again in two months’ time, Mirabelli, Gattuso and the entire brain-trust would have ample time to make a calculated approach without having to work under the same constraints of last summer, where they had to assemble a whole new squad from scratch.

Milan fans visualise Belotti donning the red and black of the club he supported as a boy, and following in the footsteps of his idol Andriy Shevchenko, but it remains to be seen whether Cairo will lower his demands.

Off a down year and without the luxury of the World Cup to propel himself into superstardom like so many have done before him, Milan should take another look at Belotti this summer in hopes that Cairo will have softened his stance and cashes in on his main asset before it’s too late.