Serie A defenders, be afraid. Be very afraid. AC Milan have signed former Juventus striker Mario Mandzukic on a season-long deal, with the option to extend for another year. He will wear the No.9 jersey and alongside new team-mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic he could form one of the most intimidating, elbows-out forward pairings since Duncan Ferguson played up front on his own. They would certainly be one of the oldest strike partnerships: at 34, Mandzukic is relatively a spring chicken next to Zlatan, who is 39 but still performing at a high level. However, at first I’d expect Mario to be used as cover for Zlatan.
Official: Mandzukic to Milan. pic.twitter.com/p14YkB5cSs
— Around Turin (@AroundTurin) January 19, 2021
Mandzukic was a free agent, having left Qatari side Al-Duhail last summer. He’s potentially a good signing for Milan, who are top of the Serie A table. Match fitness will be an issue at first, surely, but the Rossoneri may well need to call on his experience in the latter part of the campaign, especially if Zlatan starts to slow down. You can’t argue with his track record: he has one Champions League win (with Bayern) and nine domestic titles under his belt, as well as 33 goals for Croatia’s national team.
In other Milan news, defender Fikayo Tomori is set to join them on loan from Chelsea, a deal that could be made permament. Tomori is very talented and should do well in Italy.
Paolo Maldini, AC Milan director, to Sky Sport: "We wanted Fikayo Tomori also last summer, he's always been one of our targets. He's perfect for our squad, we're working on the last details". He's joining this week from Chelsea, confirmed. 👌🏻🔴 #ACMilan #CFC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 18, 2021
Milan’s intent is clear: to win the title for the first time since the 2010/11 season.