Why David Silva Would Be A Game-changing Signing For AC Milan
Manchester City midfielder David Silva is reportedly not interested in signing a new deal with the club and is eyeing a move to AC Milan. With his current contract set to expire in less than two years, City manager Pep Guardiola wants to get the player tied up to a new deal as quickly as possible. It’s been said that City are keen on getting the playmaker’s contract extended but talks have stalled for now due to the interest from AC Milan.
Silva, 31, joined City in 2010 and during his time in Manchester, he has built a reputation as one of the best players in the history of the football club. He is arguably the best attacking midfielder in the Premier League; easily ahead of the likes of Mesut Ozil, Juan Mata and Christian Eriksen.
The former Valencia man has been a centrifugal figure in City’s dominance in England since the turn of the decade, having offered a creative outlet in their two Premier League title wins, two League Cups and an FA Cup triumph. In the 2011-12 season, when City won their first league title in 44 years, Silva was a key contributor, chipping in with 6 goals and 15 assists.
Under the brilliant brains of Guardiola, Silva has been an integral part, having already racked up 6 assists so far this season. While City have an abundance of talent on their books, Silva is the man who conducts their attacking orchestra. A manager like Guardiola is blessed to have Silva’s intelligence, craftiness and a cool head in his team.
However, AC Milan’s interest in the diminutive Spaniard comes as a huge surprise. Milan certainly had a summer to remember, given they overhauled their squad this summer by signing 11 players and leaving a host of surplus players.
Key weak areas were identified and addressed so that a strong start to the new campaign could be made under Vincenzo Montella. Given the addition of the Europa League qualifying rounds, it was crucial for owner Yonghong Li and the new hierarchy to hit the ground running after replacing Silvio Berlusconi and Adriano Galliani at the top.
Milan have assembled a strong combination of experienced and youthful stars, having not paid over the odds for any player. The signing of Leonardo Bonucci came as a massive coup, and in the former Juventus skipper, Milan now have a leader who they have missed for few years.
Mateo Musacchio, Andrea Conti and Ricardo Rodriguez strengthened the back-line, while the likes of Lucas Biglia, Hakan Calhanoglu and Frank Kessie have added steel to the midfield. In the promising Andre Silva, experienced Nikola Kalinic and the industrious Fabio Borini, the Red & Blacks have a good attack too.
Admittedly, there is a case to suggest that the squad isn’t yet complete. The Rossoneri are still light in the midfield but most importantly, they lack some real creative quality in attacking areas. This loophole was demonstrated in Milan’s embarrassing defeats against Lazio (4-1) and Sampdoria (2-0) in the league.
With Milan’s need for creative quality, there is no better suitable player than David Silva. The 31-year-old’s productivity is what Milan are sorely missing. With Silva and his magical passing in the final third, the Rossoneri will find it easy to unlock the opposition, which they failed to do against Lazio and Sampdoria.
A player like Silva can change all that. He would be doing it from the top of the midfield, creating more chances for his namesake Silva and Kalinic to feast on. The Spaniard could end up filling one of Milan’s most vital needs – ramming rounds into the cannon for the strikers to fire.
It was never practical to have every issue fixed in one transfer window. Thus, the super-rich Milan have to dig in deep again as they endeavor to build a new cycle and be competitive for the years to come.
Montella has no excuses now though, and the pressure is on him to put all the jigsaw pieces together and start delivering positive results in the league, as well as in Europe.
It is apparent that Silva is enjoying his football under Guardiola and chances of a move coming to fruition are very slim. However, if the opportunity arrives, Montella should not think twice about getting Silva as Milan have started marching again to become one of Europe’s best.