Asamoah is a possibility

It is no secret, Milan are in the market for a left sided midfielder. The club seem settled on Mark van Bommel playing as the team’s anchor man in the centre of midfield. Either Mathieu Flamini or Gennaro Gattuso will play the supporting role on the right side. It is now just a question of who the club will sign to fill the role on the left side of the midfield trio.

A host of names have been linked with the club; so many that one starts to think that there is a clear lack of conviction as to exactly what kind of player the club wants.

Despite winning the championship last season, Milan still need a trequartista, a young and promising midfielder and a more experienced midfielder of a high class. That is, if the club intends to fulfil its promises by challenging for the Champions League next season. This will not be possible, however, with either Kevin Prince Boateng or Clarence Seedorf as the trequartista and nor with either Flamini or Gattuso in midfield. One only has to look at how good Barcelona were this year to realise that unless the Rossoneri put out a world class midfield next season, they will have little chance of overriding Barcelona should they come up against them. Not even Real Madrid with all their midfield class and one of the best minds in the game on the sideline could come close.

As it stands, the club is only one the hunt for one midfielder as Andrea Galliani has spelled out. Aside from this not being enough to make the team real contenders in Europe next season, the club seem at a loss as to what type of player they want.

Udinese’s Asamoah, Stephen El Shaarawy, Rafael van der Vaart, Michel Essien and Cesc Fabregas have all been rumoured to be the Mr. X the club is looking for. Yet, the players mentioned, in addition to the host of other names that could be added to this list, all represent a vastly different type of player.

If rumours concerning Fabregas, van der Vaart or Essien are to be believed – and they should perhaps not – then it would signal the club is after a player of undoubted quality who will no doubt raise the level of the team. Then there are the links with Asamoah from Udinese and Barcelona’s Seydou Keita. Such players as these would definitely strengthen the team albeit without the added x-factor that players like Fabregas can offer.

Lastly, signing a player like El Shaarawy signals completely different intentions. A player such as this is one for the future and not one who can deliver immediate success unless he can emulate Kaka which there is a small chance of.

If Milan want to challenge for the Champions League next season, as mentioned earlier, two new midfielders are needed and they can be a combination of a world class talent of a Fabregas, the reliability of a Keita or the promise of an El Shaarawy in addition to a new trequartista.

Yet, it seems that just one midfielder will be added to the squad. If this is to be the case, then it seems the best option would be for the club to inject all their energies and resources into securing a major signing, like Fabregas or van der Vaart. This, however, does not seem to be the case as reports are suggesting that the club is closing in on El Shaarawy.

One year ago the club did very well to keep their intentions hidden until the last few days when the club added both Robinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to the playing roster. It was a surprise to many Milanisti, including yours truly, and it was one that went a long way to helping the club win this season’s Scudetto.

A similar occurrence has to occur this summer in midfield and if it does then, and only then, will it give the team the capacity to go one step further and conquer Europe.