The Mendes Factor: Asset or Risk for AC Milan?
With the Antonio Silva deal seemingly close to completion, the role of Jorge Mendes in AC Milan’s transfer strategy is firmly back in the spotlight. The Portuguese super-agent — one of the most influential in world football — is effectively acting as the Rossoneri’s key point of contact in the market, handling two major operations in quick succession: first Gonzalo Ramos, now the Benfica defender.
The decision to rely on Mendes has a clear rationale: the new Milan management, having arrived at a delicate moment without time to appoint an experienced sporting director, opted for a model combining internal figures with high-profile external consultants. An operational setup that undeniably offers advantages, but one that also raises some legitimate questions.
Zazzaroni’s Criticism: Transfermarkt vs Reality
The debate was sparked by Ivan Zazzaroni, editor of Corriere dello Sport, who posted bluntly on social media: “Either the people at Transfermarkt haven’t updated his profile, or Jerry Cardinale got taken to the cleaners by Mendes.” A comment that stirred discussion, highlighting a glaring gap between Gonzalo Ramos’s estimated market value — around €30 million according to the specialist platform Transfermarkt — and what Milan reportedly paid in reality: a figure of between €75 and €80 million, bonuses included, confirming the deal as the most expensive in the club’s history.
It is worth noting that Transfermarkt does not always reflect real market values — and that Ramos, fresh from winning two Champions League titles with Real Madrid, has undeniably raised his international standing. Yet the gap remains significant, and fuels legitimate questions about the sustainability of the current approach.
The Positive Side: Speed and the Ability to Close Deals
It would, however, be reductive to read Mendes’s involvement purely in a critical light. The Portuguese agent brings with him a network of relationships that no newly appointed sporting director could replicate in a short space of time. The speed of operations speaks for itself: Milan, historically prone to waiting until the final weeks of the transfer window before making a move for a striker, changed gear this summer, wrapping up the Portuguese forward’s signing in record time.
The Antonio Silva operation, if concluded successfully, would also signal genuine planning and ambition: a young defender, tactically suited to Sérgio Amorim’s system, acquired at a reasonable fee relative to his potential.
The Other Side of the Coin: The Budget Is Not Unlimited
The central point, however, remains financial resource management. If the initial budget for Gonzalo Ramos was set at around €50 million and the final spend came in €25–30 million above that figure, that difference inevitably impacts what is available for subsequent moves. A defender like Antonio Silva, a quality midfielder, potential wide reinforcements — every piece of the puzzle requires liquidity, and every euro overspent on one signing reduces the margin for others.
Jerry Cardinale chose to send a clear statement of intent to the Rossoneri world, demonstrating that Milan is back investing with genuine ambition. A message that supporters have certainly welcomed. But the sustainability of a sporting project is also measured in the balance between media impact and financial prudence. In football, the true value of a signing is always decided on the pitch: if Gonzalo Ramos delivers goals consistently, the debate about the price paid will quickly fade. AC Milan and its fans are waiting.
