just saw on the bbc site that were after 29 year old andrea pirlo. hes an excellent player, and would suit our game perfectly. but whos place would he take? hes similar to ballack, but how could we accomodate essien, ballack and pirlo?

he's brilliant, love watching him, but there isn't really a place for him, he plays where maka or mikel do, but he's an attacking player.. he can't tackle really, but is a brilliant creator.. would require essien to play ahead of him if he did come, which creates the lampard or ballack problem, as well as hindering mikel's development.

I don't want it to happen (much as admire him) for those reasons, and I'm certain it won't happen. the worst kind of speculation IMO.

http://eurosport.yahoo.com/07062008/4/p ... -move.html

£40m for a 29 year old!?

We have Mikel who is a similar type of player (though perhaps not as good). Better to just stick with what we've got in this case.

As it is said here, silly rumor. A distributor, yes, but not imo the kind we are looking for. More of the mold of Ballack that will weight passes or find seams than will jump in behind the strikers and join the attack. That is, i hope, the kind of attacking mid we are looking for.

Great player, just a stupid frigging rumor.

i think he has already said he turned down offers from us and madrid. good player but not for us.

Agreed, no room for him in the squad, and not really what we are looking for, is it?

Andrea Pirlo loves Milan and Milan loves him. They stuck by him when he was developing even in his early twenties and sent him out on loan for I think 4 seasons all the while extending his contract, one of Milan's biggest investments. He is to Milan/Berlusconi what Alvaro Recoba was to Inter/Moratti, except local and better perhaps. Pirlo will stay until the day Milan expressedly say they do not want him. Which could happen, but by which time he should be 35/36.

Would be a big kick in the teeth to Mikel's development, so wouldn't want him. He is one hell of a player though - pretty much single handedly won them the last world cup in my opinion.

I wonder what this says about Frank's contract negotiations?