AC Milan haven't been very active in the transfer window this summer, but the best piece of business they did was holding on to Carlos Bacca. He's the best player they have, and his hat trick against Torino in Milan's opener only serves to highlight that their hopes rest entirely on their star striker.
In their 3-2 opening win. Bacca scored with every single one of his shots on target (including a penalty), showing the kind of ruthless finishing that makes him one of Serie A's best.
Last year he scored 18 Serie A goals off just 77 total shots, boasting a fantastic 63% shot accuracy. In comparison, Gonzalo Higuain took a whopping 182 shots, scoring 36 goals on 58% shot accuracy. It makes sense then, that if you get Bacca more shots, he'll probably score more goals, right? The math checks out.
West Ham reportedly activated a £26m release clause in the Colombian's contract in July, but with new Chinese ownership and Vincenzo Montella's appointment as manager, it seems like Bacca's decided to stay put in Milan.
"The truth is that I had not taken any decision. I'm happy here with the group, working and trying to prepare myself for the first game in the best way I can," Bacca told Milan TV when he chose to stay. "I'm very confident for the upcoming season, with a coach who likes to play with the ball and play with purpose. I like that, because this way I could get two or three chances a game."
Milan haven't finished higher than 7th since the 2012/13 season, and they haven't won the title since 2011. Silvio Berlusconi finally sold the club after years of mismanagement, and the hope is that Milan's new Chinese ownership will help return the once-great club to the pinnacle of world soccer. If they're to do that though, Carlos Bacca has to stay in a Milan shirt. He's not only their most important player, holding onto him would send the kind of statement that hasn't been heard from the San Siro in way too long: we're no longer a selling club.
In light of the wild spending we've already seen this summer, £26m is chump change for a striker of Bacca's quality, and losing their star man for so cheap would've been a hammer blow. For Milan to move forward, they need to keep hold of their best players and surround them with complementary talent, not sell for cheap and try to strike it lucky in the transfer market.
Milan don't have the strongest of squads. Yes, there's quality there, but Bacca is far and away Milan's best player. M'baye Niang is still young and inconsistent, and Gianluca Lapadula is completely unproven in Serie A. Keeping Bacca was the best thing that could've happened to the club this summer especially with the massive amount of turnover in their backroom.
Even with Bacca, Milan still don't look strong enough to challenge the likes of Napoli, Roma or even Inter Milan for a spot in Europe. Without Bacca though, things would be almost hopeless. Keeping a vice grip on the 29-year-old was a huge coup for the club, and if they can somehow add a couple more pieces before the transfer window closes, we might just be singing a different tune in the key of Milanese.
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