A great goal scorer but do Milan need him and is he worth the risk?

This week Milan club representatives sat down with Carlos Tevez’s management team to discuss a possible January transfer for the player. The absence of Antonio Cassano for most of the season has prompted the club to consider other options and it is thought that Tevez could be the solution.

Apparently the club has laid on the table a €3 million offer for Tevez for six months with an option to buy him outright for €22 million at the end of the season.

Whether or not we actually do need a Cassano replacement is debatable as we already seem well equipped in the attacking department with players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Pato, Robinho, Pippo Inzaghi and Stephen El Shaarawy whose limited opportunities would only become more limited should the Argentine become a Rossonero.

There are also questions marks over Tevez’s character. Recently, Corinthians coach at the time when Tevez played for the Brazilian club said that while “as a player he is worth €18 million, as a man he is not”.

There is perhaps some credence to this rather derogatory view. There can be no denying that Tevez is one of the best strikers in the world and based on purely talent he could walk into any team in the world. However, his behaviour at City this year has been a major source of trouble in an otherwise great season to date for the ambitious Manchester club.

I for one am of the opinion that Milan are in greater need of new players in other departments, like defence and midfield. Tevez may be a great player to have when the need for a ‘game changer’  is required. But, there are bigger problems that need addressing rather than just adding another great striker to the ones we already have.

It makes little sense too in that a major reason why Tevez wants to leave City is to be closer to his family who reside in his native Argentina. Milan is scarely closer in proximity to the northern English club so it is unlikely that the striker will resolve this personal issue of his by moving to Lombardy.

In saying this, Italy is a country that is culturally much more aligned with that of his home land. He is not the first South American player to find life tough in Manchester and he would not be the first to become content in the surroundings of the northern Italy.

There are many parallels with Milan’s hunt for Tevez with the previous signings of Robinho and Cassano. The former suffered too from a case of the blues at Manchester, however, has found a new lease of life at Milan, a club he has said “loves Brazilians and knows how to make them feel welcome”. In regard to the latter, Tevez’s troublesome character makes him a gamble, like the signing of Cassano was.

If the success and happiness both Cassano and Robinho have enjoyed since their moves to the San Siro is anything to go by, Tevez could prove a great signing.

But, the question still remains. Do Milan need another striker? My answer is no. We need a defender and a midfielder to arrive in the January transfer window much more than another striker who bares risk.

Nevertheless, the club appears determined to sign the player and just like how Robinho and Cassano have confounded their critics at Milan, Tevez could do the same and this, by all means, would not be a bad thing