AC Milan News: Is Kevin Strootman the Right Man for Milan?
PSV midfielder Kevin Strootman has emerged as a transfer target for Italian giants AC Milan. Also linked with Manchester United, the 23-year old Netherlands international isn’t long for the Eredivisie and looks to be ready to make his big money move to a top European club.
Valued at €12 million, the PSV man has been in great form this season, leading his team to the second place spot they currently occupy. The versatile midfield man has made 18 appearances for the Netherlands national team, scoring once, and has appeared 56 times in his two-year tenure at PSV, scoring seven times. He’s a unique player as his well-rounded skill-set allows him to operate either as a deep-lying playmaker, a position that has rose to prominence over the past few years, or a defensive midfielder. Not afraid to put in a tackle, the left-footed maestro has the passing acumen to loft diagonals to his teammates, driving the attack and creating opportunities, shown by his 11 assists this season.
The always economical Milan appear to be reluctant to pay the full transfer fee, rather incentivizing the deal by adding Dutch midfielder Urby Emanuelson. After struggling to get solid playing time at the San Siro, coach Massimiliano Allegri shipped Emanuelson to Fulham where he has played well, however the English side recently said that they would not be making the move permanent, meaning that Emanuelson will rejoin the Rossoneri at the end of the season. The Milan midfield remains crowded and Emanuelson will almost certainly be stuck on the bench, meaning that a move away from Milan could be one that Emanuelson would favor.
Should Strootman arrive at Milan, he would join the team as almost a guaranteed starter. Given his defensive abilities, Allegri would be able to use him in the defensive midfield role that has been occupied by numerous players this season including Massimo Ambrosini, Mathieu Flamini and Nigel de Jong amongst others.
Riccardo Montolivo has been fantastic this season and Adriano Galliani looks to have made another masterstroke in the transfer window after he signed the Italy international on a Bosman last summer. After a tumultuous first half of the season where he changed positions almost as much as his hairstyle, Kevin-Prince Boateng looks to have found his niche after he reprised his role as box-to-box midfielder. Antonio Nocerino has been woeful and perhaps created unrealistic expectations for himself last season, when he set the San Siro alight. With Nocerino’s days numbered, de Jong coming off a bad injury, Ambrosini not getting any younger, and Flamini, Sulley Muntari and Bakaye Traore serviceable rotation players, AC Milan could be a perfect landing spot for Strootman.
His style of play looks to parallel well with Serie A and looks like he could easily make the transition to Italy, subsequently bolstering the quality of Milan’s midfield in the process. A downside for Milanistas is that English giants Manchester United could also insert Strootman into their starting eleven alongside Michael Carrick, who has been phenomenal this season. Joining a club like United is a hard proposition to pass up but with Milan’s history of Dutch superstars, don’t count the Rossoneri out.
Should Emanuelson agree to leave in search of more playing time, transfer window genius Adriano Galliani will be tasked with putting together an offer that PSV cannot refuse. If he’s successful, Milan would be getting a very gifted midfielder who could star in their famous red and black kit for the next decade and give Milan a very formidable midfield triumvirate of pass-master Riccardo Montolivo, the all-action Kevin-Prince Boateng, and the very versatile Kevin Strootman.
