GdS: Milan should ‘soon speak German’ – Cardinale wants to secure Rangnick then Glasner

Oliver Glasner remains waiting by the phone for a call from AC Milan, while the same can be said about Rangnick too.

La Gazzetta dello Sport report this morning that despite the unrest among the fans, Milan want to take all the time possible to rebuild the management in the correct way. There is however a favourite to inherit Massimiliano Allegri’s job and he hopes to sign the contract very soon.

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Glasner is just waiting for another discussion with the Rossoneri to formalise his appointment as the new head coach. He’s not currently considering other options, such as Feyenoord, having given Milan absolute priority.

One step away

So, why has he not signed yet? In Gerry Cardinale’s plans, the first step shouldn’t be the head coach, although Glasner’s name seems to have unanimous agreement. First, the RedBird boss would like to secure the position of technical director, the role over which there have been several discussions.

Here too there’s a favourite: Rangnick. The German worked with Glasner during his time at Red Bull Salzburg, when both arrived in the Red Bull football galaxy almost simultaneously. In Milan’s minds, the Austrian-German option would be the ideal pairing.

Yet before making a final decision, the leadership want to be sure they’ve thoroughly explored all possible options. This is why they’ve had so many discussions in recent weeks. As for the technical director, the primary alternative to Rangnick remains Ramon Planes.

Formerly of Espanyol, Tottenham, and Barcelona, he’s practically freed himself from Al-Ittihad, where he recently moved from sporting director to external consultant. With Planes at the helm, Mauricio Pochettino’s chances of taking over would rise, even if he is at the World Cup.

Decision time

Thinking of multiple hires at once can be dangerous. While it’s true that the new technical director will play a key role in choosing who will sit on the bench, it’s equally true that the decision will be made jointly.

Glasner, for example, is also held in high regard by Ramon Planes. Rangnick appears somewhat less flexible, having a more distinct footballing philosophy. The former Manchester United man focuses more on the club’s methodologies, structure, and culture than on names.

In his last meeting, a week ago, he reiterated this to Cardinale and his men: he wants to help rebuild Milan, but in his own way. The Rossoneri have taken note of Rangnick’s ideas, with the intention of informing the German candidate of their choice within a fortnight.

In all this, Austria will make its World Cup debut on the night of June 16-17 against Jordan in San Francisco.  Zlatan Ibrahimovic – who is already in Los Angeles – has also landed in the United States, and should speak with Cardinale daily about the future of Milan.

In addition to a technical director and coach, the Rossoneri will also need to find a new CEO and sporting director. For this second position, several candidates have already been considered, from Devin Ozek to Johannes Spors , including Marcel Schafer and many others.

In short, the feeling is strong that the new Rossoneri ‘will soon speak German’, but eventually they will have to pick up the phone and make the crucial calls.