Gerry Cardinale’s comments last night at the Financial Times Business Forum Summit cannot be defined as anything other than a very strong hint that AC Milan are set for big changes this summer.
As Calciomercato.com write, the fact that he took aim at the current league position and the injury situation seems to lay the blame more in one direction than spreading it out, and that is at the feet of head coach Stefano Pioli.
Having been out of the Scudetto race for some time, Milan remain in the running to win the Europa League and above all should secure qualification for the next Champions League, though it does not seem that it will be enough for Pioli.
Getting a top four spot is fundamental for the economic-sporting strategies and Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s decision-making power will have a significant weight in these. In Cardinale’s analysis of the current season, the main suspect will be Pioli.
It is hard for him not to be too, given that Milan exited at the group stage of the Champions League, are 16 points behind Inter, out of the Coppa Italia and have missed the boat for the 2025 Club World Cup.
Pioli is linked to Milan for another year of contract and receives a €4m net per season salary, but never before have the possibilities of a separation at the end of the season been as high as now.
Who will replace him? The ‘forbidden dream’, especially of the fans, remains that of Antonio Conte as per the report, who is chomping at the bit to return to the bench and take on an ambitious project after the sabbatical he took to recharge his batteries.
In the collective imagination, Conte is considered as the name that would bring everyone together because of his ambition, of a winning mentality and because it would show to the outside world a tangible signal that Cardinale’s words on the obsession with victory are not just words.
At the same time, to date there have been no direct contacts between the Rossoneri management and the former Inter coach, perhaps because of how demanding he is in terms of salary and investment.
There have instead been contacts with some different profiles such as Julen Lopetegui, who is admired because of his ability to develop young players, and because of the work he did with Sevilla where he won the Europa League.
However, there is a profile that currently fits perfectly with Cardinale’s idea of Milan, a team that grows together with its protagonists gradually, following a logic of consolidation while balancing the sustainability of the accounts.
Calciomercato.com state that ‘all the clues lead to Thiago Motta’ of Bologna, a team who are challenging for a Champions League spot thanks to his work. The enquiries from Milan have been repeated and frequent in recent months, together with those for Riccardo Calafiori, Lewis Ferguson and Joshua Zirkzee.
The idea of ‘evolution’ is shared by Cardinale and Ibrahimovic, and they believe Motta is a coach ready to take the opportunity to compete in a more competitive context and at a big club.
