According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, AC Milan have been trying to come to terms with luring forward Alessio Cerci. Milan has the money, the scouting and the will, so the final question remains- would he be a good fit?
There is no questioning the talent, but there have been no shortage of cases in the past where a talented player struggles to find success due to a system they are uncomfortable with, not to mention Milan would still have to do some heavy convincing to Torino, a side reluctant to relinquish Cerci.
The first thing to notice is the help that Cerci would have up front. With the likes of Mario Balotelli, Giampaolo Pazzini and Stephan El Sharaawy among others, Cerci would not only have some competition for playing time, but would pair well with all the other strikers. Cerci is the unique breed of footballers that can make surrounding players vastly better without it always reflecting on his own stat line, and he could bring that to Milan.
Keisuke Honda, Mbaye Niang and El Sharaawy are all playmakers, while Balotelli and Pazzini are more of the finishing type, however that does not always lead to the ball ending up in the back of the net, as shown by the Rossoneri’s abysmal 2013/14 campaign– Cerci could bridge that gap. If Filippo Inzaghi opts to go with a three striker set, Milan could become the most potent club in Serie A whilst still remaining solid in the back end. Reason being, in you combine the playmakers with the finishers and then throw in a Cerci-type player that can be a liaison of sorts between the two others, the flow of the offense becomes much more productive and smooth. It would be a learning curve for the Rossoneri strikers, but once they became more familiar with a three-striker system, they would certainly reap the benefits.
Moreover, Cerci has experience playing on the Italian national side, and that familiarity with players such as Riccardo Montolivo, Ignazio Abate and Balotelli would help with a more seamless transition.
A transition to AC Milan would make sense for Cerci, he would make more money and play with a more prominent group of strikers. On top of that, he would be an overall good fit in Milan. If the Rossoneri can convince Torino to allow Cerci to come over, his impact would be felt almost instantaneously.
