Alberto Gilardino

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REGGINA-MILAN

KEEPERS: Fiori, Kalac, Storari;

DEFENDERS: Bonera, Cafu, Favalli, Grimi, Jankulovski, Kaladze, Nesta, Oddo, Serginho, Simic;

MIDFIELDERS: Brocchi, Gattuso, Pirlo;

STRIKERS: Borriello, Gilardino, Inzaghi, Ronaldo.

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Gilardino 'cannot guarantee' AC Milan stay

Alberto Gilardino has told Milan he is sick of being treated as a flop and is looking at other alternatives. “I cannot guarantee I will stay.”

The striker moved from Parma for around £18m in 2005, but has struggled to live up to that price-tag and in two seasons has managed just two Champions League goals.

With Ronaldo no longer cup-tied, Filippo Inzaghi on fire, Kaka moved to a more advanced role and reports that Andriy Shevchenko will return after his spell at Chelsea, there is less and less room for Gila.

“The situation is simple. I am happy at Milan, but I cannot guarantee I will stay here,” he told the ‘Gazzetta dello Sport.’

“I have a long contract and an excellent rapport with the Rossoneri environment, but anything can happen in football and I am evaluating other options. I would not be honest if I denied that.

“For me the faith of the club and the Coach are indispensable. In the past I had that and would like for it to be there in the future.”

The decision to drop him in favour of Inzaghi – who scored a decisive brace – for the Champions League Final against Liverpool seems to have left its mark.

“I want to be able to play without all these doubts being raised on my first error or negative performance. At the age of 25 I want to play consistently and repay Milan for the investment they made in me.

“I thought I would play in Athens, I admit it. When I found out I was on the bench, I was disappointed,” he confessed.

“But I always put the team above all personal considerations and just tried to concentrate so I could do my best in the few minutes that Carlo Ancelotti granted me. Lifting the trophy put all that disappointment behind me.”

With constant rumours of new hitmen from Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto’o and Shevchenko coming to San Siro, will Gilardino ask to be sold if another forward arrives?

“I am not afraid of competition. I have always sought my space with great champions like Shevchenko, Inzaghi, Christian Vieri and Ronaldo. If the competition is fair and the player who is in the best shape goes on to the field, then I have no problems.”

This week there were claims in the newspapers that Gilardino had openly offered himself to Inter, but he and his agent denied these suggestions.

“That is absolutely not true,” the former Parma man told the ‘Gazzetta’. “I can pledge to the Milan fans, who I get along very well with, that I have not approached anyone, let alone Inter. A few supporters jeered me this season, but the majority are behind me. I want to repay them with many goals.”

Among those linked with a summer bid for Gilardino are the new Juventus and Barcelona, who are probably seeking a replacement for Eto’o.

“These are great clubs and I am pleased to hear of their interest, but Milan are the top club. It’s difficult to imagine walking out on them and they are my first choice. However, if I didn’t feel they had faith in me, then I would look elsewhere.”

When asked point blank if he felt he was always facing tests of his abilities and that there were doubts around him, the World Cup winner answered truthfully.

“Yes, I feel that I am in doubt and in all honesty I don’t know why. I think this is surreal and at times it seems like an incredible situation.”

In two seasons Gilardino has scored 29 Serie A goals for Milan and was their top scorer this term on 12 in 30 appearances.

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Ancelotti: Gilardino can go

Alberto Gilardino’s time at Milan appears to be up after he threatened to walk out and Carlo Ancelotti opened the door – ushering in Thierry Henry.

The striker caused controversy with an interview in this weekend’s ‘Gazzetta dello Sport’ in which he said he could “not guarantee” he would stay at the club next season, as he demanded more faith in his abilities.

“If Gilardino feels he needs to go, then there’s no reason why we can’t help him achieve that aim, as long as we find a valid alternative,” replied the Coach.

“Up until a few days ago he seemed relaxed and the situation was under control. He speaks of faith and fair play, but we have always put our trust in him. I always considered him an important player, even if at Milan competition for places is mandatory.”

With Ronaldo no longer cup-tied, Pippo Inzaghi in sparkling form and rumours of another major striker brought in this summer, Gilardino fears he will be pushed aside.

“Competition must act as further motivation to do better and certainly not feel like a weight. Gilardino is young, can still improve and has already scored a lot of goals. Like everyone, he has had his ups and downs.”

Gila is very unpopular with a section of the Rossoneri fans and admits he was bitterly disappointed at losing out to Inzaghi in the Champions League Final starting XI.

“The only player at Milan who is sure of always being first choice is Kaka,” continued Ancelotti. “Everyone should take Inzaghi as an example, a player who takes his profession very seriously. He is always ready and works hard no matter what, so he earned his place in the most important match.”

Not only did SuperPippo play in Athens, he scored both goals in the 2-1 victory over Liverpool.

“It is often said that Inzaghi is in love with the goal, but the truth is that the goal is in love with him.”

That Champions League triumph will act as further incentive to bring in top stars, as Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto’o, Andriy Shevchenko and Emerson have been strongly linked.

“We are working to make the team more competitive. What you read in the papers is more or less true, specifically our intention to bring in a midfielder and a forward. Negotiations are tricky, as they involve talking to very prestigious clubs.”

The Coach let slip that one of those target is Arsenal hitman Henry, who may finally be ready to leave the Gunners.

“Henry is a great striker and is among those players who are of interest to us,” said the Milan boss.

There are claims this weekend that a deal for Real Madrid man Emerson has already been secured, with a return to Serie A after his spells at Roma and Juventus.

“I have not named names and do not wish to, but Emerson is a player with the characteristics that would be useful for us.”

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Gilardino To Stay At Milan

It took only twenty minutes for Alberto Gilardino to find an agreement with Milan after it was rumoured he might leave the Rossoneri.

A quick meeting, just around 20 minutes, at Via Turati and all the doubts were gone. Alberto Gilardino will remain at Milan. The player himself confirmed this to Milan Channel: "We cleared some things up, it was very important. I am happy, I know this is an important club, I would like to stay here as long as possible. I knew it before and know it even better now."

He received some important words of praise from team mates such as Inzaghi: "I've talked with Pippo he said very nice things to me. But I also heard from other team mates who asked me to think about it well."

"In reality I didn't have any doubts: the papers changed my words a little bit, but the desire to remain at Milan was always there", he said.

Case closed then, although the striker was keen to make one thing clear: "I've never offered myself to another team, least of all Inter."

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Thanks for photos. Some are hot

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Juve's Gilardino interest confirmed

Alberto Gilardino’s agent has confirmed that the Milan man is a transfer target for Serie B champions Juventus.

The Italian international’s future at the San Siro is in doubt and the Old Lady are monitoring his situation.

“Juventus are interested in the player and have made this clear,” representative Beppe Bonetto noted on Wednesday.

“However, there are some obstacles to the move which are represented by Gilardino’s [£17m] price tag and David Trezeguet’s future.

“These are not easy problems to solve and that is why I prefer to remain cautious at this moment in time.

“The solution preferred by the Rossoneri and which Gilardino agrees to is for him to remain here in Milan.

“The transfer window closes on August 30. Today he is a Milan player, but you never know what might happen seeing as the market can be unpredictable.”

Fiorentina are also keen on netting the former Parma youngster and have reportedly already made a £10m offer, but Bonetto doubts a Tuscan future looms for his client.

“The Viola don’t seem to have plans to sign players of the calibre of Gilardino,” continued the agent.

“But I also want to underline that it is untrue that [Milan Vice-President] Adriano Galliani has included Gilardino in a number of transfer negotiations.”

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Happy Birthday Gila

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