Antonio Vitiello believes the squad Ruben Amorim will work with this season is incomplete, with several positions left unaddressed as the transfer window reaches its final hours.
Milan started the summer at pace, spending a combined €105m to bring in Gonçalo Ramos from PSG and Mario Gila from Lazio at the end of June. The tempo dropped sharply after that. Diego Moreira arrived from Strasbourg before the season opener, and Omari Hutchinson was announced last night, but the additions since June have not matched the ambition of that opening burst.
Writing in his column for MilanNews, Vitiello laid out where he thinks the work was left unfinished. "We've reached the final day of the transfer window; tonight at 8:00pm, we'll be able to draw a final assessment of the Rossoneri's summer transfer window. We're leaving a few more options open until time permits, but the chances are slim and the squad appears incomplete," he said.
He praised the early business before turning critical. "Milan actually got off to a great start this summer, making two major signings at the end of June. They immediately acquired a strong striker and an ideal defender, resulting in a record €75m in Gonçalo Ramos from PSG, followed by another €30m for Mario Gila." From there, in his view, the club stalled: "in the entire months of July and August, only Diego Moreira arrived, for the whopping €50m plus bonuses. An excellent addition, but not enough to make AC Milan truly competitive."
Vitiello named the four holes he sees in the group: another top central defender, a midfielder with a varied skill set to line up alongside Yunus Musah, and cover up front. "A whole season with just Ramos and Camarda? Doesn't that seem like a small amount?" he asked, noting that Amorim chose to lean on the young striker to give Francesco Camarda a bigger role, a decision he called "a big risk."
The attacking midfield spot went a different way than planned. Milan pursued a left-footed trequartista for weeks, with Vitiello identifying Karetsas as the real target, before settling on Hutchinson on loan with an option to buy from Nottingham Forest. "A player who relies heavily on dribbling and speed between the lines, he's certainly not the type of player that fans are thrilled with, and above all, he's not a guaranteed move in a key position on the pitch," he wrote.
The outgoing side of the ledger drew similar frustration. Vitiello notes that Milan earned "practically nothing" on sales, with the departures structured as loans, and points to Rafael Leão as the clearest example of value lost. The club valued him at €60m in June, then sold him at the end of August for €38m plus bonuses, a total of €45m. "In short, they could certainly have done better on the outgoing market as well," he said.
Vitiello closed by placing responsibility where it now sits. "Amorim has agreed on every decision with the owners, assessing their needs on a case-by-case basis. Now it's up to him to manage this group and get results. After two truly awful years, AC Milan must return to the Champions League, but this season won't be easy either."
With the deadline at 8:00pm, the shape of the squad is close to final, and how far it goes now falls to Amorim.