Contacts between AC Milan and Ralf Rangnick have been going on for two months and the German has a clear plan for the Rossoneri, one sports journalist has claimed.
Speculation is rife in the media at present suggesting that the Rossoneri in line for their umpteenth summer revolution after a disappointing season so far.
There has been a war of words ongoing in the media between CEO Ivan Gazidis and director Zvonimir Boban regarding the former’s decision to contact Rangnick about becoming the new head coach and sporting director. Boban is expected to leave after he hit out at Gazidis in the media.
To discuss Rangnick and find out more about this figure who has been persistently linked with a job at Milan, the MilanNews.it interviewed Bild journalist Stefan Krause.
“We have known about the negotiations on both sides for about two months. The situation is the same that we reported in January: Milan want Rangnick and the German coach is very interested in the AC Milan project,” he said.
“Negotiations are still ongoing with Rangnick who is looking for a new challenge because it is more than obvious that he is not satisfied with his role as only a Red Bull club consultant. He has always wanted to work in a foreign country, especially in England and in the Premier League but in the past concrete offers have never arrived, only some contact with Everton.
“Even if it is not England, he will go to Milan and therefore not the worst of the destinations. Rangnick has a strong character and is very ambitious and for this he needs total powers in the club.”
Could his way of working be suitable for Italian football?
“Why not? The most important thing in Rangnick’s philosophy is speed: fast players, fast football, fast success. In this way he led clubs such as Hannover, Hoffenheim and RB Leipzig to the top. I can certainly imagine that Rangnick will try to make the team younger also because he has never signed players over 24 years old.
“This is the philosophy and will continue to arrive in Milan. He is very good at discovering talented players and making them grow. An example is Leipzig defender Ibrahima Konatè: he took him on a free transfer from Sochaux in 2017 when nobody knew him and now he is one of the best central defenders in the Bundesliga. The dual role of sports director and coach is perfect for him.”
On Rangnick’s tactics, Krause continued: “The rangnick philosophy is part of a modern type of football. He is not interested in ball possession but wants many counterattacks.
“Players must win the ball back quickly in the opponent’s territory and quickly change from a defensive situation to an offensive situation. When the ball is between his feet, his players should shoot at the goal in a fraction of time of maximum 8 seconds. For this type of game, you need fast and young players.”
On the prospect of Zlatan Ibrahimovic remaining beyond June, therefore, the Bild journalist is not optimistic.
“I do not think so [that he will stay]. Rangnick wants to work with young players as mentioned above. I’ll give you an example: when he was a manager of Stuttgart in 2000 he put Krassimir Balakov, a star of the team with more than 236 appearances in the club, on the bench and said to him: ‘Balakov you need to play more without the ball and to speed up’.”
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