This summer is one of holistic change for AC Milan. The club, intent on reclaiming its place among Italy’s best, has appointed a new coach in Vincenzo Montella and brought in two new players already in Leonel Vangioni and Gianluca Lapadula.

And further additions are believed to be on the way as takeover negotiations continue between club president Silvio Berlusconi and a Chinese consortium.

While these are good times for the Rossoneri as a whole, the process could be seen as bad news for a select few individuals—namely those who have underperformed—within the existing squad. This particular shortlist of players includes Luiz Adriano.

The Brazilian arrived at Milan during a period of grand ambition last summer. He was part of a major spending spree that saw the club bring in several big names, including Carlos Bacca, Alessio Romagnoli and Andrea Bertolacci, for large transfer fees in the hope of an instant turnaround in fortunes.

But the flurry of transfer-market activity didn’t bring about a quick enough improvement. This April, Sinisa Mihajlovic, who was appointed head coach last June, was dismissed after the team put in a series of dour, unexciting performances and failed to get results. The Rossoneri finished the Serie A season in seventh place, missing out on European football once again.

Adriano wasn’t the only player not to live up to expectations, but his poor debut season offers little hope for the future, especially considering that Montella will likely have transfer targets of his own to reinvigorate Milan’s attack this summer.

The 29-year-old striker signed from Shakhtar Donestk for a fee of £6 million. Before leaving Ukraine, he became the Miners’ all-time record goalscorer in all competitions, with 128 to his name.

Having spent the best part of a decade with the club, he had gradually established himself as one of the finest strikers outside of Europe’s major leagues. And, on top of all that, he finished as the fourth-highest scorer in the 2014-15 Champions League, behind only Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

And the early signs for Adriano in 2015-16 were positive.

In Milan’s first competitive game of the season, a Coppa Italia clash at home to Perugia, his dummy helped to play in Keisuke Honda for the opener before he scored one of his own to make it 2-0.

Then, after a dismal team display in a 2-0 defeat away to Fiorentina on Serie A’s opening day, Adriano set up the Rossoneri’s first league goal of the campaign. With a finely weighted through ball, he played in Bacca, who rounded the Empoli goalkeeper to finish with aplomb. Later in the game, he would leap to head home the second goal in a 2-1 win.

Having shown his ability to both create and take chances, he was named WhoScored.com’s man of the match with an impressive performance rating of 8.36.

Adriano’s second league match at the San Siro was as big as it gets: the Derby della Madonnina with city rivals Inter Milan. However, despite often getting behind the Nerazzurri back line, he was unable to finish any of his opportunities, and Milan lost, 1-0.

Following on from that, he would score just twice more for the Rossoneri in 2015. His match-winning header against Sassuolo and a well-taken chest and volley against Sampdoria were good strikes, but the quality didn’t make up for the sheer paucity of goals to his name.

Adriano had shown signs of striking up a good relationship with Bacca, but he soon fell down the pecking order as Mihajlovic turned instead to M’Baye Niang to partner the Colombian poacher. And the 21-year-old did an excellent job, going on to score five and set up four goals in 16 league appearances.

Following an alarmingly quick loss of form, the performances of a younger positional rival weren’t the only worry.

By January, Adriano was no longer simply seeking to justify a place in Milan’s starting lineup, but in the squad. Rumours swirled of a potential move to China, with Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football Italia) eventually confirming that Jiangsu Suning were willing to pay €14 million to secure the player’s signature, just six months after he had arrived in Italy.

That deal eventually fell through with contractual problems cited as the primary reason.

Talking to Calciomercato (h/t ESPN FC) Adriano stated:

It’s not true what people are saying. I didn‘t ask for more money as soon as I had arrived in China. The truth is I was not given any guarantee at all over my salary. They did not want to put the right figures on the contract and that is not the way I work, and that is why I have not joined Jiangsu Suning.

Back at Milan, Adriano’s attempts to return to the first team were stalled by injury problems, with a bruised rib, a leg injury and a stomach complaint keeping him out of action. When he did get back to full fitness, he scored just one further goal, a penalty against Atalanta in a 2-1 defeat.

His maiden year with the Rossoneri had become a nightmare without any sign of redemption. And there is very little reason to argue that Montella can get more out him going forward.

The new coach may not always opt for two strikers, an attacking option Milan often utilised last season with 4-3-1-2 and 4-4-2 systems. Instead, the 4-3-3 and 3-4-2-1 that he used with both Fiorentina and Sampdoria could be implemented, meaning less space for the likes of Adriano.

There are also a number of reasons to suggest that the player will not fit his new manager’s philosophy from a stylistic perspective.

Montella is known for his possession-based approach, something he is highly unlikely to compromise. He discussed this recently with the press (h/t Football Italia), saying: “What matters most are the principles of play. The club knows what my ideas are, and now even the players have understood them.”

Adriano’s primary assets are his athletic and physical qualities. Fast with an explosive burst of acceleration, deceptive strength and aerial ability, he enjoys attacking space. However in tighter situations, he tends not to flourish.

This is something backed up by Squawka’s statistics, which show that last season, he won more headers per 90 minutes than any of his striking colleagues. However, he had far fewer successful dribbles, played relatively few key passes and had a poor shot accuracy of 43 per cent.

Adriano is a direct, physical striker, but his technical limitations could cost him dearly in the hunt for a starting berth in Montella’s Milan lineup, where link-up play, precision and control in small spaces will probably be of utmost importance.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Italian Football Daily), new Zenit St. Petersburg coach Mircea Lucescu could be keen to reunite with the forward, having worked with him previously at Shakhtar.

Taking into account Adriano’s form and style of play, Milan would be wise to consider selling him should the correct offer—somewhere around his Transfermarkt.co.uk valuation of £8.5 million—come in. But, with Bacca reportedly edging closer to a move to West Ham, per Sport Mediaset (h/t Football Italia), things may not be so clear-cut.

Should the Rossoneri’s top scorer from last season move to the Premier League, Montella would be left with relatively few striking options in Lapadula, Niang and Alessandro Matri, who recently returned from a loan spell with Lazio.

If Bacca does indeed leave, Milan may look to keep Adriano as a squad player. But this should not dissuade the club from looking elsewhere for strikers more suited to the new coach’s specific tactical ideals.

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This summer is one of holistic change for AC Milan. The club, intent on reclaiming its place among Italy’s best, has appointed a new coach in Vincenzo Montella and brought in two new players already in Leonel Vangioni and Gianluca Lapadula.

And further additions are believed to be on the way as takeover negotiations continue between club president Silvio Berlusconi and a Chinese consortium.

While these are good times for the Rossoneri as a whole, the process could be seen as bad news for a select few individuals—namely those who have underperformed—within the existing squad. This particular shortlist of players includes Luiz Adriano.

The Brazilian arrived at Milan during a period of grand ambition last summer. He was part of a major spending spree that saw the club bring in several big names, including Carlos Bacca, Alessio Romagnoli and Andrea Bertolacci, for large transfer fees in the hope of an instant turnaround in fortunes.

But the flurry of transfer-market activity didn’t bring about a quick enough improvement. This April, Sinisa Mihajlovic, who was appointed head coach last June, was dismissed after the team put in a series of dour, unexciting performances and failed to get results. The Rossoneri finished the Serie A season in seventh place, missing out on European football once again.

Adriano wasn’t the only player not to live up to expectations, but his poor debut season offers little hope for the future, especially considering that Montella will likely have transfer targets of his own to reinvigorate Milan’s attack this summer.

The 29-year-old striker signed from Shakhtar Donestk for a fee of £6 million. Before leaving Ukraine, he became the Miners’ all-time record goalscorer in all competitions, with 128 to his name.

Having spent the best part of a decade with the club, he had gradually established himself as one of the finest strikers outside of Europe’s major leagues. And, on top of all that, he finished as the fourth-highest scorer in the 2014-15 Champions League, behind only Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

And the early signs for Adriano in 2015-16 were positive.

In Milan’s first competitive game of the season, a Coppa Italia clash at home to Perugia, his dummy helped to play in Keisuke Honda for the opener before he scored one of his own to make it 2-0.

Then, after a dismal team display in a 2-0 defeat away to Fiorentina on Serie A’s opening day, Adriano set up the Rossoneri’s first league goal of the campaign. With a finely weighted through ball, he played in Bacca, who rounded the Empoli goalkeeper to finish with aplomb. Later in the game, he would leap to head home the second goal in a 2-1 win.

Having shown his ability to both create and take chances, he was named WhoScored.com’s man of the match with an impressive performance rating of 8.36.

Adriano’s second league match at the San Siro was as big as it gets: the Derby della Madonnina with city rivals Inter Milan. However, despite often getting behind the Nerazzurri back line, he was unable to finish any of his opportunities, and Milan lost, 1-0.

Following on from that, he would score just twice more for the Rossoneri in 2015. His match-winning header against Sassuolo and a well-taken chest and volley against Sampdoria were good strikes, but the quality didn’t make up for the sheer paucity of goals to his name.

Adriano had shown signs of striking up a good relationship with Bacca, but he soon fell down the pecking order as Mihajlovic turned instead to M’Baye Niang to partner the Colombian poacher. And the 21-year-old did an excellent job, going on to score five and set up four goals in 16 league appearances.

Following an alarmingly quick loss of form, the performances of a younger positional rival weren’t the only worry.

By January, Adriano was no longer simply seeking to justify a place in Milan’s starting lineup, but in the squad. Rumours swirled of a potential move to China, with Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football Italia) eventually confirming that Jiangsu Suning were willing to pay €14 million to secure the player’s signature, just six months after he had arrived in Italy.

That deal eventually fell through with contractual problems cited as the primary reason.

Talking to Calciomercato (h/t ESPN FC) Adriano stated:

It’s not true what people are saying. I didn‘t ask for more money as soon as I had arrived in China. The truth is I was not given any guarantee at all over my salary. They did not want to put the right figures on the contract and that is not the way I work, and that is why I have not joined Jiangsu Suning.

Back at Milan, Adriano’s attempts to return to the first team were stalled by injury problems, with a bruised rib, a leg injury and a stomach complaint keeping him out of action. When he did get back to full fitness, he scored just one further goal, a penalty against Atalanta in a 2-1 defeat.

His maiden year with the Rossoneri had become a nightmare without any sign of redemption. And there is very little reason to argue that Montella can get more out him going forward.

The new coach may not always opt for two strikers, an attacking option Milan often utilised last season with 4-3-1-2 and 4-4-2 systems. Instead, the 4-3-3 and 3-4-2-1 that he used with both Fiorentina and Sampdoria could be implemented, meaning less space for the likes of Adriano.

There are also a number of reasons to suggest that the player will not fit his new manager’s philosophy from a stylistic perspective.

Montella is known for his possession-based approach, something he is highly unlikely to compromise. He discussed this recently with the press (h/t Football Italia), saying: “What matters most are the principles of play. The club knows what my ideas are, and now even the players have understood them.”

Adriano’s primary assets are his athletic and physical qualities. Fast with an explosive burst of acceleration, deceptive strength and aerial ability, he enjoys attacking space. However in tighter situations, he tends not to flourish.

This is something backed up by Squawka’s statistics, which show that last season, he won more headers per 90 minutes than any of his striking colleagues. However, he had far fewer successful dribbles, played relatively few key passes and had a poor shot accuracy of 43 per cent.

Adriano is a direct, physical striker, but his technical limitations could cost him dearly in the hunt for a starting berth in Montella’s Milan lineup, where link-up play, precision and control in small spaces will probably be of utmost importance.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Italian Football Daily), new Zenit St. Petersburg coach Mircea Lucescu could be keen to reunite with the forward, having worked with him previously at Shakhtar.

Taking into account Adriano’s form and style of play, Milan would be wise to consider selling him should the correct offer—somewhere around his Transfermarkt.co.uk valuation of £8.5 million—come in. But, with Bacca reportedly edging closer to a move to West Ham, per Sport Mediaset (h/t Football Italia), things may not be so clear-cut.

Should the Rossoneri’s top scorer from last season move to the Premier League, Montella would be left with relatively few striking options in Lapadula, Niang and Alessandro Matri, who recently returned from a loan spell with Lazio.

If Bacca does indeed leave, Milan may look to keep Adriano as a squad player. But this should not dissuade the club from looking elsewhere for strikers more suited to the new coach’s specific tactical ideals.

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Porto have agreed a deal to sign left-back Alex Telles from Galatasaray, it was revealed on Wednesday.

The Brazilian spent the 2015-16 campaign on loan at Inter Milan, and Porto’s Twitter feed confirmed that he would be joining up with his new team-mates in time for the beginning of the Portuguese season:

Telles has coped well with his transition to European football and was installed as Robert Mancini’s starting left-back for the majority of the 2015-16 season.

That came after the 23-year-old was elected to the 2013 Brasileirao Team of the Season while at former club Gremio. Here is a look at what he can offer:

Telles also brings the added advantage of having already featured in the UEFA Champions League, making five appearances for Gala in European competition in 2014-15.

Manager Nuno Espirito Santo will be hoping his latest recruit makes a seamless switch to the Portuguese top flight after completing his third transfer in three years.

With time running out before the 2016-17 season gets under way, Telles will need to be quick to get to grips with his new surroundings and the increase in expectations this transfer will trigger.  

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Liverpool have been dealt a major blow in their pursuit of Dinamo Zagreb playmaker Marko Pjaca as his move to Juventus is reportedly a “done deal.” 

According to Sportske (via Calciomercato), the 21-year-old Croatian star has snubbed AC Milan in favour of a €25 million (£21.1 million) switch to Serie A champions Juve.

Calciomercato’s report stated that, contrary to Sportske‘s claim, the deal is not yet actually sealed, but the transfer fee has been agreed between Juve and Dinamo.

What does seem clear is that, barring a major U-turn, Liverpool will miss out on signing Pjaca having been linked with him during Euro 2016, along with Inter Milan and Napoli, per SportMediaset (via Football Italia).

Pjaca impressed immensely during the France tournament, particularly as Croatia beat Spain, and he proved how effective he can be running at opposition defences, per Opta:

Versatile, Zagreb-born Pjaca is most comfortable playing out wide on either flank but can also operate as a central striker.

He will slot in at Juventus nominally as a replacement for Alvaro Morata—they are both exciting young attacking talents—but he would have been the ideal signing for Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

Pjaca is exactly the type of dynamic and creative player that Klopp likes, and he would likely have fit in well alongside Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge.

However, it looks as though Liverpool’s only chance of signing Pjaca now is if there are complications in Juve completing the deal, although Milan may be the ones to swoop in that case, per Gianluca Di Marzio (via translator David Amoyal):

Milan could also reportedly cause Liverpool problems with another target, Udinese’s 22-year-old midfielder Piotr Zielinski.

According to Calciomercato, Milan and Udinese have agreed a price of about €19 million (£16 million) for the Poland international, although Zielinski “is still tempted” by a move to Liverpool.

Liverpool had an initial bid of £11.75 million rejected and will seemingly need to up their offer considerably to beat Milan to Zielinski’s signature, per the Mirror‘s David Anderson:

He has been on loan at Empoli for the last two seasons and netted five goals while providing four assists in 35 Serie A appearances in 2015-16, per WhoScored.com.

Most comfortable in a central playmaking role, Zielinski would provide useful competition and cover at Liverpool for the likes of Coutinho, Firmino and Adam Lallana, but he may prove too expensive a gamble. 

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Liverpool have been dealt a major blow in their pursuit of Dinamo Zagreb playmaker Marko Pjaca as his move to Juventus is reportedly a “done deal.” 

According to Sportske (via Calciomercato), the 21-year-old Croatian star has snubbed AC Milan in favour of a €25 million (£21.1 million) switch to Serie A champions Juve.

Calciomercato’s report stated that, contrary to Sportske‘s claim, the deal is not yet actually sealed, but the transfer fee has been agreed between Juve and Dinamo.

What does seem clear is that, barring a major U-turn, Liverpool will miss out on signing Pjaca having been linked with him during Euro 2016, along with Inter Milan and Napoli, per SportMediaset (via Football Italia).

Pjaca impressed immensely during the France tournament, particularly as Croatia beat Spain, and he proved how effective he can be running at opposition defences, per Opta:

Versatile, Zagreb-born Pjaca is most comfortable playing out wide on either flank but can also operate as a central striker.

He will slot in at Juventus nominally as a replacement for Alvaro Morata—they are both exciting young attacking talents—but he would have been the ideal signing for Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

Pjaca is exactly the type of dynamic and creative player that Klopp likes, and he would likely have fit in well alongside Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge.

However, it looks as though Liverpool’s only chance of signing Pjaca now is if there are complications in Juve completing the deal, although Milan may be the ones to swoop in that case, per Gianluca Di Marzio (via translator David Amoyal):

Milan could also reportedly cause Liverpool problems with another target, Udinese’s 22-year-old midfielder Piotr Zielinski.

According to Calciomercato, Milan and Udinese have agreed a price of about €19 million (£16 million) for the Poland international, although Zielinski “is still tempted” by a move to Liverpool.

Liverpool had an initial bid of £11.75 million rejected and will seemingly need to up their offer considerably to beat Milan to Zielinski’s signature, per the Mirror‘s David Anderson:

He has been on loan at Empoli for the last two seasons and netted five goals while providing four assists in 35 Serie A appearances in 2015-16, per WhoScored.com.

Most comfortable in a central playmaking role, Zielinski would provide useful competition and cover at Liverpool for the likes of Coutinho, Firmino and Adam Lallana, but he may prove too expensive a gamble. 

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Liverpool have been dealt a major blow in their pursuit of Dinamo Zagreb playmaker Marko Pjaca as his move to Juventus is reportedly a “done deal.” 

According to Sportske (via Calciomercato), the 21-year-old Croatian star has snubbed AC Milan in favour of a €25 million (£21.1 million) switch to Serie A champions Juve.

Calciomercato’s report stated that, contrary to Sportske‘s claim, the deal is not yet actually sealed, but the transfer fee has been agreed between Juve and Dinamo.

What does seem clear is that, barring a major U-turn, Liverpool will miss out on signing Pjaca having been linked with him during Euro 2016, along with Inter Milan and Napoli, per SportMediaset (via Football Italia).

Pjaca impressed immensely during the France tournament, particularly as Croatia beat Spain, and he proved how effective he can be running at opposition defences, per Opta:

Versatile, Zagreb-born Pjaca is most comfortable playing out wide on either flank but can also operate as a central striker.

He will slot in at Juventus nominally as a replacement for Alvaro Morata—they are both exciting young attacking talents—but he would have been the ideal signing for Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

Pjaca is exactly the type of dynamic and creative player that Klopp likes, and he would likely have fit in well alongside Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge.

However, it looks as though Liverpool’s only chance of signing Pjaca now is if there are complications in Juve completing the deal, although Milan may be the ones to swoop in that case, per Gianluca Di Marzio (via translator David Amoyal):

Milan could also reportedly cause Liverpool problems with another target, Udinese’s 22-year-old midfielder Piotr Zielinski.

According to Calciomercato, Milan and Udinese have agreed a price of about €19 million (£16 million) for the Poland international, although Zielinski “is still tempted” by a move to Liverpool.

Liverpool had an initial bid of £11.75 million rejected and will seemingly need to up their offer considerably to beat Milan to Zielinski’s signature, per the Mirror‘s David Anderson:

He has been on loan at Empoli for the last two seasons and netted five goals while providing four assists in 35 Serie A appearances in 2015-16, per WhoScored.com.

Most comfortable in a central playmaking role, Zielinski would provide useful competition and cover at Liverpool for the likes of Coutinho, Firmino and Adam Lallana, but he may prove too expensive a gamble. 

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Liverpool have been dealt a major blow in their pursuit of Dinamo Zagreb playmaker Marko Pjaca as his move to Juventus is reportedly a “done deal.” 

According to Sportske (via Calciomercato), the 21-year-old Croatian star has snubbed AC Milan in favour of a €25 million (£21.1 million) switch to Serie A champions Juve.

Calciomercato’s report stated that, contrary to Sportske‘s claim, the deal is not yet actually sealed, but the transfer fee has been agreed between Juve and Dinamo.

What does seem clear is that, barring a major U-turn, Liverpool will miss out on signing Pjaca having been linked with him during Euro 2016, along with Inter Milan and Napoli, per SportMediaset (via Football Italia).

Pjaca impressed immensely during the France tournament, particularly as Croatia beat Spain, and he proved how effective he can be running at opposition defences, per Opta:

Versatile, Zagreb-born Pjaca is most comfortable playing out wide on either flank but can also operate as a central striker.

He will slot in at Juventus nominally as a replacement for Alvaro Morata—they are both exciting young attacking talents—but he would have been the ideal signing for Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

Pjaca is exactly the type of dynamic and creative player that Klopp likes, and he would likely have fit in well alongside Roberto Firmino, Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge.

However, it looks as though Liverpool’s only chance of signing Pjaca now is if there are complications in Juve completing the deal, although Milan may be the ones to swoop in that case, per Gianluca Di Marzio (via translator David Amoyal):

Milan could also reportedly cause Liverpool problems with another target, Udinese’s 22-year-old midfielder Piotr Zielinski.

According to Calciomercato, Milan and Udinese have agreed a price of about €19 million (£16 million) for the Poland international, although Zielinski “is still tempted” by a move to Liverpool.

Liverpool had an initial bid of £11.75 million rejected and will seemingly need to up their offer considerably to beat Milan to Zielinski’s signature, per the Mirror‘s David Anderson:

He has been on loan at Empoli for the last two seasons and netted five goals while providing four assists in 35 Serie A appearances in 2015-16, per WhoScored.com.

Most comfortable in a central playmaking role, Zielinski would provide useful competition and cover at Liverpool for the likes of Coutinho, Firmino and Adam Lallana, but he may prove too expensive a gamble. 

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