Since Rafinha and Modric are now pretty much gone in terms of being possible transfer targets, I have a feeling that we are equipped for season with Keita onboard now without buying new midfielder. Sure, it will be awesome to have someone like Rabiot but realistically there aren't any top players currently on the market who can walk into our starting midfield. Panic buying is no longer viable, we don't need another grandpa like Valero as a 5th choice midfielder, might as well just give chance to Emmers.
We can take Barella on loan with 30mln redemption right but will he evolve with small exposure to playing time? There would be too much competition for him to play regulary. Injury epidemy like in 12-13 can occur and this will help him to become a starter, but I swear to God I don't want it.
In 4-2-3-1 Brozo is a sure starter and Vecino currently should be alongside him. Naingolan becomes AMC but what about Lautaro, he was too good in the preseason to be a bench warmer. I guess the only viable formation for us to field strongest line-up is 3-4-1-2. Skriniar-Miranda-De Vrij- Perisic-Naingolan-Brozo-Vrsaljko (Politano if we go to all-out attack)-Lautaro-Icardi-Keita. That's strongest line-up name-wise but Lautaro surely can't play in the hole. If we move Naingolan upwards Lautaro becomes direct competition for Keita. This pushes Vecino to the starting line-up and Gagliardini and Asamoah as first choices. If both Brozo and Naingolan suffer injuries we will have huge problems but Mancini already showed that you can win matches even with 0 creativity midfield
. Bear in mind that Candreva haven't left yet and he also can play as an AMC in the emergency scenario. Same for Skriniar-he can play as DM if needed. Even Perisic played in the central midfield before occasionally.
All in all, we now have plenty of possible formation and a good bench depth. Not top-class like Liverpool or City have, but decent,especially by Serie A standarts.
As I said already a few time on this forum, our ambitions for this season are progressing to CL play-off and solid 2nd-3rd place in the championships. With favourable draw in CL (like getting Locomotiv in the group or top team like Bayern but weaker pot 2 and 3 like Schalke and Shakhtar) we can progress from the group and reach our targets in the national championship. Not many team in Serie A except Juve have such midfield players like Brozo or Naingolan. Even if they do, their attack or defence are weaker than ours. I am fairly optimistic for the upcoming season.
