Milan coach Montella targets title
Mounting a realistic challenge for the Serie A crown should be AC Milan's objective in the coming seasons, according to Vincenzo Montella.
Vincenzo Montella has hailed the transformation of AC Milan's squad in the close-season and hopes winning Serie A can become "a concrete goal".
After Chinese investors completed a takeover of the club, Milan have been among the most active teams in the European transfer market, bringing in Leonardo Bonucci, Andre Silva, Hakan Calhanoglu, Lucas Biglia and Franck Kessie, among others.
And they may not be finished splashing the cash just yet, with the Rossoneri believed to be keen to land a star centre-forward before the window shuts next month.
"I started dreaming, and over the weeks I did not understand how many purchases would be made and how much money would be spent," head coach Montella, who led the team to a sixth-place finish last term, told Gazzetta dello Sport.
"It went further than I thought, [and is] something extraordinary. This is a team that will remain over time, and [Milan] will not regret it."
"It is [too] soon to say whether the gap with Roma and Napoli has been closed, but we must not hide ourselves," he said, referring to the teams that claimed the final Champions League qualifying places behind Scudetto winners Juventus.
"And our enthusiasm needs to be fuelled and maintained.
"Within a hundred days I expect Milan to be a team and see [the result of] my work.
"After a thousand I hope the championship is no longer a dream, but a concrete goal."
Milan made an early statement of intent by beating Bayern Munich 4-0 in an International Champions Cup exhibition match in China on Saturday, a performance that left Montella delighted.
"The team was not passive and all the new ones had a good impact," he said of his signings.
"Andre Silva has infinite potential."