Italian football legend Fabio Capello, who played for and coached AC Milan has raised question marks over the Rossoneri’s decision to acquire the services of Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface due to the player’s lack of prior Serie A experience, Footynaija.com reports.
Boniface is set to join Milan, with the Italian giants reaching an agreement with Bayer Leverkusen and expecting him in the city on Friday for his medical. Should the move be finalized, Milan will pay a €5m loan fee and retain an option to make the transfer permanent for an additional €24m.
Before setting their sights on Boniface though, the Rossoneri had initially been in talks with Manchester United for the signature of wantaway striker Rasmus Hojlund, as widely reported by many outlets. However, the financial complications of that deal supposedly forced the 19-time Serie A champions to cast their net elsewhere.
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Weighing in on his former club’s decision, Capello, who enjoyed hugely successful stints as a player and later on a manager at AC Milan -winning eleven trophies in total over both stints- has expressed disappointment at the Rossoneri’s reluctance to splurge on a center-forward with prior Serie A experience this summer.
Fabio Capello’s take on the signing of Victor Boniface
“Conte was put in a position to be able to fight for the title: Targeted signings, and a whole new spine. From Buongiorno to McTominay to Lukaku, a guarantee at centre-forward,” Capello wrote in his La Gazzetta dello Sport column.
“Milan should do the same with Allegri. But the move for a new centre-forward has gone down a different route. Because, after a long negotiation with Hojlund, the Rossoneri have turned to Boniface, gambling on a technically gifted striker, but one that has been stopped too often due to physical problems.
“In addition, the Nigerian coming in from Bayer Leverkusen will need time to settle into Serie A, while the Dane from Manchester United would have been a ready-to-go striker given his experience with Atalanta.
“When I read that the reasons behind this choice would largely be due to financial reasons, I wonder: A club like Milan, which has brought in close to €200m from sales this window – Shouldn’t they have invested in the centre-forward? The one who will have to take care of scoring the goals for the Scudetto.
“Trying to bet on such an important position can be dangerous, especially because I’m convinced that Leao’s move to centre-forward will be short-lived. Allegri would lose the best of the Portuguese’s quality, who is devastating when he starts wide on the left.”
One major concern for AC Milan will be Boniface’s injury record with the Super Eagles star having spent two separate spells on the sidelines last season. His potential unavailability midway through the season because of this year’s AFCON which is slated for December/January will also give the Rossoneri something to think about.
