Gerry Cardinale continues to back up his words with actions, as the AC Milan owner was present for a mercato summit on Thursday and Friday.
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As La Gazzetta dello Sport report, Cardinale slept at Milanello on Thursday night, just like Silvio Berlusconi has previously. The most successful president in AC Milan’s history used to rest for a few hours during his visits in the room reserved for him.
He even spent a night there, on the eve of a Champions League match. Cardinale followed Berlusconi’s example and last night, instead of staying at the luxury hotel in downtown Milan he’s used in the past during his visits to Italy, he stayed at the training ground.
The aim was clear: to continue his full immersion into the Milan world, and also to ensure that not a minute is wasted when it comes to planning for the future under Ruben Amorim.
A night at the office
Cardinale arrived in Italy from Los Angeles on Thursday morning and immediately headed to Milanello. He entered the gate a few minutes after 09:00, when the players had already had breakfast and were in the dressing room preparing for the morning session.
The American watched from the sidelines. Afterward, he greeted the players and then had lunch with Amorim, with whom he had a transfer market meeting. The focus was on upcoming incoming moves (attacking midfielder the priority, then another centre-back), as well as outgoing negotiations.
The meeting was also attended by Hendrik Almstadt, Bobby Gardiner, Jovan Kirovski and Donato Lomonte, all of whom now make up the management. Ruben Amorim left Milanello shortly before 14:00, along with almost all the players.
Cardinale, however, didn’t leave. He stayed all afternoon, making phone calls and chatting with his managers. Then dinner and some TV time, before sleeping in the room reserved for the club’s owner.
Why did he do it? He wanted to be at Milanello this morning, when the players were supposed to arrive for breakfast by 08:30. He bumped into some of them and spoke again with Amorim, whom he’d arranged to meet in August.
The RedBird boss won’t be joining the team on tour in Australia and Indonesia, but he will remain in constant contact with the Portuguese coach as usual. Cardinale left Milanello while the team was on the training pitch. This time, he did so by car, not the helicopter he’d used on July 13th.
Cardinale’s passion and involvement in Milan’s affairs have certainly grown exponentially since May 25th. He’s changed a lot in two months, and at this rate, he’ll change even more in the coming weeks. He wants to win and will do everything to achieve it.