Milan Obsession

They said it would never happen. But "they" are mostly Juventus legends who are clearly not up to date on modern football, or Juve fans who have had their hearts ripped out, stepped on, and shipped to Casa Milan. And "it" was Leonardo Bonucci agreeing to come to Milan. And be our new captain. And possibly impregnate our women. (Okay, I may have made that last part up. There is a lot of hysteria around this transfer. Forgive me.) With five new players coming in since the last podcast and more possibly being signed as I type this, Milan's mercato has become a frenzy of spending, celebrating, and sheer excitement for the future. Please join us as we celebrate Bonucci Madness.

With Milan buying players faster than Berlusconi can get out of a lawsuit, I needed someone knowledgeable and sensible to sort everything out with. So of course I spoke with David. You can follow him on Twitter @DavidLSwan (the "L" is for legend.) We spoke about:

• News of the Week: Edgar Davids fashion, friendly in Lugano, the Europa League Draw

• Mercato Update: new signings, renewals, departures, and Borini

• Leonardo Bonucci: Juve exit, Milan captaincy, impact on formation, etc.

• Coming up: ICC Tournament matches

Thanks again to David for a fantastic conversation once again. Except for the Inter bits. I should have deleted those. Still, do follow him on Twitter @DavidLSwan, it's the best thing you'll do all year.

With the team returning to Milanello, there is excitement in the air. All of the new signings not only give Milan fans something to talk about, but also something to finally truly dream about. There are some players leaving, some deals yet to be worked out. But for the first time in years, the return to Milanello will actually feel like a rally, or raduno.

Kicking off a new season meant I needed a new guest, and that was Christian. You can follow Christian on Twitter @CLumia, and you will definitely want to follow him to see what he's got coming up. On the podcast, we talked about:

• News of the Week: Tennis anyone?, Italy U21, Silva's Portugal, U16 Scudetto, returning to Milanello, social media problems

• Club Update: board of directors meeting and more

• Mercato Update: new signings, renewals, and departures

• Coming up: summer friendlies and Europa League qualifying

Thanks again to Christian for the great conversation. Follow him on Twitter @CLumia to see what's coming next.

Anger. Pain. Hurt. Disappointment. Despite such a promising beginning to our mercato, we are all filled with anger. I never knew an 18 year old could break my heart like this, even when I was 18 years old. Donnarumma represented hope, faith, and the future of Milan, so his failure to sign a contract renewal represents a death of all of those things on some level. With emotions still raw, it was important to talk about what we know and how we feel.

I had to go back to the beginning for a conversation like this, so I asked my original co-blogger and founder of Milan Obsession, Jovan, to be on the podcast. We managed to talk about a few things besides Donnarumma, including:

• News of the Week: Suso, U21 Euros, U20 World Cup, FFP agreement, new team manager

• Mercato Update: new signings

• Donnarumma: renewal failure

Thanks again to Jovan for funneling his anger into intelligent conversation and for helping me to not break something while recording.

The sale of the club drastically changed Milan's finances. But this season put Milan back in black in a footballing sense as well. With a positive season, a Supercoppa trophy, a sixth place finish, and thus a third round Europa League qualifying spot. And as if the season wasn't enough to smile about, we are already making some very exciting signings in the mercato, too. So on every front, Milan are back in black.

It's difficult to imagine such an epic podcast without the brilliant Pete. You can follow him on Twitter @PDAcquaviva. With so much going on, we had to pare down our discussion to:

• News of the Week: King of Rome, New kits, Chinese restrictions, Gattuso, Donnarumma honors

• Season Update: reviewing recent matches and season results

• Player Review: discussing player performances and futures

• Mercato Update: sifting through the rumors

Thanks again to Pete for helping to sum up an interesting season. Follow him on Twitter to find out when he writes again @PDAcquaviva.

With an injured mentality, there's a lot to be down about. But we managed to find things that are much more frightening. It was too easy to jump on the sunshine and rainbows train after the close of the sale of the club, and the performances on the pitch since then have pushed people too far. Reality is not as pretty, but there are still things to be happy about (like Inter's shambolic season.) Also, we discovered the answer for everything.

In good times and in bad, I can always count on Francesco for good conversation about Milan. You can follow him on Twitter @FrancescoPetra8. Recording after the Roma defeat, we chatted about:

• News of the Week: Inzaghi, communications, Milan Ladies, VAR, Ancelotti, Serie A racism, a visit from managemen

• Season Update: reviewing recent matches

• The Elliott Fund: why they took a gamble on Milan

• The Summer Mercato: sifting through the rumors

• Derby at Casa Milan: travel report

• Coming Up: upcoming matches to watch for

Thanks again to Francesco for a great conversation after a heartbreaking game. Follow him on Twitter to show your support for a fellow Milanista @FrancescoPetra8.

After eleven months of uncertainty, the sale of Milan finally closed. The 31 year legacy of Berlusconi is over. But this new ownership raises as many questions as it brings answers. And speaking of answers, after Inter came into the Derby with a two point lead at halftime, Milan's defenders came back with two goals of their own to answer. So recording right after that match, you can imagine what kind of conversation this was.

To discuss the massive changes at Milan, I needed a massive Milan fan, so of course I asked Michelangelo. You can follow him at @mkidj on Twitter and also on Snapchat at mkidj to find more wisdom. Find out what we chatted about:

• News of the Week: new kits, new Milan babies

• Season Update: reviewing Palermo and Inter matches

• Sale of the Club: finally, actual news!

• Club Finances: questions and answers about club finances

• Coming Up: upcoming matches to watch for

Thanks again to Michelangelo for the great postmatch conversation. Follow him on Twitter @mkidj also mkidj on snapchat.

If you liked this podcast, you might also like the latest @touchlineradio podcast where Elaine was Adam's guest talking about the Derby, the club sale, and experiences in blogging, podcasting, and social media. Check it out on Soundcloud or in iTunes at Touchline Radio.

Uncertain performances on the pitch and an uncertain future have left much to the imagination. With a Derby on the horizon and a European spot becoming less likely with every unconvincing performance, hopes are starting to fade on the pitch. Similarly, off the pitch the newest closing date seems more likely than ever, but only because of a massive loan that brings more questions than answers. All of it adds up to all new levels of uncertainty.

In times of uncertainty, I like to find wisdom, so of course I turned to Jovan for some much needed wisdom. He is the co-founder of Milan Obsession and always has some great perspective to offer. So we talked about some of the bigger issues at Milan right now, including:

• News of the Week: Brocchi in the news, Silvio's priorities, Summer fun, young player news, TV rights, Abate's injury, bad news

• Season Update: reviewing the matches to date

• Sale of the Club: updates, news, forecasts

• Coming Up: upcoming matches to watch for

Thanks again to Jovan for sharing his wisdom and general awesomeness in a time of so much uncertainty

I'm not gonna lie, this is not a positive podcast. If you're not already taking any Milan-induced antidepressants, you probably should talk to your doctor before you listen to this one. Or at the very least buy stock in acohol. The club has sunk to new depths each year for the last four and a half years, and just when you think it couldn't get any worse, it does. With the latest failure to complete the sale of the club, you're going to need a lot of Prozac to continue to support Milan.

Luckily, David was here to save the day and give us hope. He is the best scout in the world, he's well-versed in Milan finances, and now he will be available via Twitter @DavidLSwan for your suicide prevention counseling needs. He blessed us with his wisdom in the following areas:

• News of the Week: Donnarumma's big birthday, Berlusconi landmark, ICC Tournament, Inter fined by association

• Season Update: reviewing the matches to date, meh midfield, quest for Europe

• Sale of the Club: predictions, history, and speculation

• Coming Up: upcoming matches to watch for

Thanks again to David for saving us from ourselves and for making Montolivo's impending return seem like a silver lining. Follow him on Twitter or else: @DavidLSwan

Six years ago, Milan Obsession quietly came into existence as a humble little blog talking about Milan. Four years ago, the podcast was added. And now, in 2017, I think it's clear that I will never stop talking about Milan. Ever. Like it or not, I took this chance to have a great chat about Milan to celebrate these milestones. You're welcome.

Some Milan fans are born, others become legendary, and my guest this time did both of those things. Vinny just escaped the paparazzi after his brilliant Red Card Weekly videos and now he is one of the admins for the Milan Club Montreal. After escaping the nonstop hounding by the press and the nonstop harassment from women, he was kind enough to chat with me about:

• News of the Week: Bonaventura extension, legends of Buffon, Berlusconi no show, Papa Vangioni, Oddo sacked

• Season Update: reviewing the matches to date

• Injuries: Milan's walking dead

• Montella: assessing his performances to date

• Mercato Update: closing out Galliani's epic mercato

• Sale of the Club: updates and discussion

• The Future: van Basten on Serie A

• Coming Up: upcoming matches to watch for

If you want to watch Milan in HD on RAI International, please sign the petition from Milan Club Montreal

Thanks again to Vinny for sharing his brief quiet moments talking Milan with me for your pleasure. Follow Milan Club Montreal on Twitter @ACMClubMTL.

Thank you to all of the support over the years here on the blog as well as on the podcast. Getting to interact with other Milan fans is the best part of all of this madness. Thank you for reading, listening, writing guest posts, commenting, interacting on Twitter, being my guest on podcasts, and everything all of you do to make my Milan Obsession seem sane.

The podcast has freed itself, at least for one episode, from the closet in the basement which it has been hiding in. Because midseason. There's just too much to talk about. From day to day news, a season update, talking about Montella and the squad, to the vast amount of mercato news. Oh yeah, and that little subject of the sale of the club. So take advantage of this temporary freedom and listen… for the sake of the podcast.

An epic return of the podcast required an epic guest. Which means Pete, of course. Anyone who has ever followed him on Twitter @PDAcquaviva knows what I am talking about. So in tackling the midseason mountain of dialogue, we discussed:

• News of the Week: Papa Bertolacci, Suso's right arm, Milan Ladies moment in the spotlight, Lapadula virtuoso, FIFA's bigger World Cup, the letter J

• Season Update: reviewing the matches to date

• Montella: Milan players who are representing

• The Squad: players on the training table

• Mercato Update: players on the training table

• Sale of the Club: players on the training table

• Coming Up: upcoming matches to watch for

Thanks again to Pete for coming out of hiatus for us. Follow him on Twitter @PDAcquaviva. And don't punch babies.