Paulo Fonseca should soon put pen to paper and sign a two-year deal with AC Milan, a report claims, and then work will begin to strengthen the squad.
This morning’s edition of Corriere dello Sport (via MilanNews) writes that all that is missing is the official confirmation on Fonseca, after Lille confirmed his farewell in a statement they put out yesterday. This was followed by a message from the coach himself, who reflected on his two years.
Everything is now ready for another official press release, that of Milan which should arrive next week. The two years in France were positive both for the club and for Fonseca himself, allowing him to grow as a coach.
This season Lille finished fourth in the league, qualified for the Champions League preliminary stage, and were one step away from the Conference League semi-finals, losing only on penalties to Aston Villa.
Milan have a two-year contract ready with an option on the third worth €2.5m net per year plus bonuses. At his first press conference, probably in early July, the reasons for the choice will be explained and Fonseca’s task will not be easy because fans are not too enthused.
What appears certain is that the management will be called upon to strengthen the squad to give Fonseca the opportunity to showcase and express his coaching skills. In this sense, Milan are also looking for a defensive midfielder in addition to a striker and a centre-back.
The identified candidate is Youssouf Fofana of Monaco, who is getting ready to play for France at the European Championships in Germany. The player has already communicated to Monaco that he will leave and his deal expires in 2025, making this a tempting opportunity for Milan.
The aim could be to close at €20m and it is a figure that the Rossoneri have repeatedly spent in recent years. Fonseca would thus find a midfielder with physical and defensive characteristics that have probably not been seen since Franck Kessie’s time.
The real issue, as CorSport writes, is the competition from some big European teams. Above all, Atletico Madrid and PSG are keen so Milan might have to move in advance, especially with the prospect of the 25-year-old having a great tournament in Germany.
Sign Fofana right now. He should be our best midfielder from day 1.
Théo started the game yesterday. That’s impressive considering he was just landing back from Australia. This guy is not only worth the money he’s asking for because of his performances but also because he’s almost never injured and plays 90 minutes every game. He doesn’t even need a backup it’s insane. Maignan started but had nothing to do and Giroud played a few minutes at the end of the game.
I can actually see forfana and lukaku being a very strong centre with reinjders bringing the trickery. Obviously our wings are sorted. We would still need a top striker for lukaku to rest up but also provide serious competition with him. Maybe CDK to Atalanta doesn’t happen and he comes back along with the integration of csmarda and then we should be mopping up quality free or loans at the back. 20m on royal is ludicrous. I have the feeling a big player will go this summer also. I’m over all this now just want to see who we get in. On zirkzee as well, he’s not prolific yet but neither was salah at Roma. I believe zirkzee could be a 20goal
A season man
i think it depends on how Fonseca wants the attacking players to play. zirkzee will be more like a Firmino at liverpool. Some goals, great enabler. Similar to when Okafor plays CF for us. Lukaku is more of our Giroud type. A target man, good for crossings and hold-up play.
My 2cents, based on how pioli set things up, we need a target man more. I saw many games where we ended up crossing the ball 100 times, hoping for a header. We shall see what Fonseca wants
The problem with Fofana is that he seems to be paired with Camara in Monaco and Camavinga and Tchouaméni in the French national team. I don’t follow him pretty well, but that seems to indicate that he is not the defensive profile but rather the ball carrier of the pairing, and what we currently need is the defensive profile, players like Hojbjerg, Hjulmand or Ederson.