Serie A giants AC Milan have completed the signing of Colombian defender Cristian Zapata on a season-long loan deal from Spanish club Villarreal, with a view to a permanent move next summer.

Zapata seems to be a very cheap replacement for the departed Brazilian defender Thiago Silva.

Rated

Cristian Zapata is still highly-rated in Italy. The defender only moved to Spain last summer from Italian Serie A side Udinese. It’s fair to say that both Villarreal and Zapata endured a nightmare campaign, as the Yellow Submarine were unexpectedly relegated from La Liga.

Zapata just didn’t settle in Spain and maybe a move back to Italy and Serie A will rekindle his best form. While at Udinese he was wanted by a host of top clubs, including Premier League Arsenal.

Reinforcement

I’m sure that Zapata will be a decent reinforcement to the Rossoneri squad. The defender is very versatile and can play anywhere across the defence. His presence is needed, as the AC Milan squad looks very bare indeed.

Finances

The Rossoneri are in poor financial health and the sales of star players such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva were necessary to keep the wolves from the door. However, the club has lost more than just Ibrahimovic and Silva.

The club has lost experienced players such as Alessandro Nesta, Mark Van Bommel and Clarence Seedorf as well this summer. Milan have lost those players but simply haven’t got the money to bring in capable replacements.

Transition

This summer AC Milan have brought the average age of their squad down dramatically, with some of their older players moving on. However, I think its been at the expense of the quality of their squad.

Milan have to see this season as a transitional one and accept that the team may not perform as well as they have in the last few years. This could be a tough season for the fans of the Rossoneri, but who knows the remaining players may prove me wrong and shine. We will see.

Is the AC Milan squad strong enough to compete for the Serie A title?