AC Milan CEO Ivan Gazidis has confirmed his intention to remain at the club beyond the expiry of his contract later this year and also addressed the sale rumours.
The Scudetto is in many ways the perfect reward for what has been a rewarding and progressive journey over the last couple of seasons, from that brilliant post-lockdown run to dropped points, injury crises and refereeing errors. In the end Milan stand above all and can call themselves the best in the country again.
Gazidis spoke in a lengthy interview with The Guardian about a number of different topics from the recent title win to what the club’s plans are for the future and also the speculation that Elliott Management could soon sell, with his comments relayed by MilanNews.
On the Scudetto victory: “It took some time to achieve. You are immediately prey to euphoria and joy, but then you realise that this is a monumental result not only for what we have done, but also how we did it, which is very different.
“Already at the beginning of the season we believed we had created something special, based on a clear idea of building a new Milan around a very young team. I think they are the youngest team in modern history to win the Scudetto and one of the youngest in Europe. There is also a unity of purpose within the club and with the fans.”
On his arrival at Milan: “It wasn’t the relationship with Gordon that convinced me. I liked the idea of doing something stimulating in a new environment, also learning Italian personally and a different football culture. And there was the romantic idea of being able to bring Milan back into vogue. People said it was impossible.”
On the initial criticisms: “When I arrived in Milan, they called me ‘South African’, which was like saying ‘he doesn’t know anything about football’. I think the feeling was: ‘Here is a boy who knows nothing about football, who still doesn’t speak Italian, representing a New York hedge fund’.”
On the Milan project: “Our new vision was to find players who weren’t big names. We signed players from relegated teams. We signed players who had been abandoned or who had no development path. We identified them using modern analysis. and modern scouting methods.”
On Paolo Maldini: “He imbued the players with Milan’s values. This combination made the project a winner, as did the fact that we had the courage of our convictions at every step.”
On the skepticism which has now vanished: “It was said: ‘You cannot build a young team like this in Italy’. The expression they use is ‘the shirt is heavy’. It means that this is Milan and that we play at San Siro with many expectations on our shoulders. How can a young person do such a thing? We did almost everything in a way that we were told was impossible in Italy.”
On the Super League project: “The real Super League is the Premier League, which has a global audience and is moving away from other European leagues. If we do nothing, that will be the future of football. I lived in that bubble and the Premier League did a fantastic job. But the Super League proposal was seen very differently in Italy than in England.
“Our difficult choice at Milan was simply to participate in the Super League or not. We had to make a responsible choice for the club. Milan weren’t driving this train. At Arsenal I strongly opposed the Super League and blocked it, because the Premier League is completely on the rise.”
After Investcorp’s period of exclusivity with Elliott Management came to an end, RedBird Capital swooped in and are now close to buying the club. As per Sky Italia, the deal is worth €1.3bn and it’s for 70% of the club.
On Elliott’s future at Milan and negotiations for the sale: “They are talking. They did not try to sell, but they came to them. There are two groups who love and believe in the way modern Milan was built. So, both that Elliott remains, whether one of these groups takes over, the project will have continuity.”
On his future: “I will definitely stay in the near future. I feel a real sense of belonging and I am deeply grateful.”
On Milan’s ambitions: “We want to get back to being competitive at the Champions League level. We are still growing because our young players had never played in the Champions League before last season. We aim to improve every year. In this season we never talked [publicly] about winning the Scudetto, but it was our internal goal. We knew that the dream would come true only with hard work.”
“ There are two groups who love and believe in the way modern Milan was built. So, both that Elliott remains, whether one of these groups takes over, the project will have continuity.” – says it all right there. NO big spending…..”project will have continuity”. I wouldn’t be surprised if Maldini left. Can’t expect him to perform miracles every summer.
Yeah, the current project has been such an abject failure, Milan should waste tens of millions every year just to sign “names” to make clueless fairweather fans happy.
The people in charge all know a hell of a lot more than you ever will and have been doing a great job.
They win the Scudetto for the first time in over a decade and you are still looking for anything to complain about
LOL. These are Maldini’s words donkey. I think we can both agree HE knows more than BOTH of us. Read kid lol.
Maldini said the status quo is not enough and we need to spend more to take next step to compete w Europes BEST or we will remain a team that only competes for top 6 spots in Italy. HIS words NOT mine. Do your homework jackass before you throw stones.
If Maldini walks out because Inter have a bigger budget, then that’s on him, not on the management IMO.
Okay, you’ve proved that you are a moron. “The project will have continuity”. Do you even know what that means? They are going to continue as they have over the last couple of years, just what is needed. Talking about learning to read, I hope to god English isn’t your native language because you are really poor at it.
Oh, and kid, yeah I’ve been watching Milan since long before you were born. Have you ever even been to the San Siro, ever played the game outside of on your Xbox boy?
Cannot agree more, WCSG.
LOL. Been to San Siro many times donkey. Been to CL final with Milan as well. Never played Xbox – but I’m sure you play with yourself daily lol. Funny I never insulted you – just provided Maldini’s point of view – which I agree with. Oh well. Your probably the same dip $hit that said to sell Leao for 40M lol. Anyways instead of attacking fellow fans perhaps we can agree to disagree. But that probably is a concept to big for your little brain to handle – being that your “older” than me lol. Good luck grandpa George.
Dude your takes are so bad I’m starting to think you’re Jamie Carragher
Interestingly enough, the monologue Ibra gave him last spring at the Milanello was not mentioned……
“They are talking. They did not try to sell, but they came to them. There are two groups who love and believe in the way modern Milan was built. So, both that Elliott remains, whether one of these groups takes over, the project will have continuity. (…) “We want to get back to being competitive at the Champions League level. We are still growing because our young players had never played in the Champions League before last season. We aim to improve every year. In this season we never talked [publicly] about winning the Scudetto, but it was our internal goal. We knew that the dream would come true only with hard work.”
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Words of wisdow by the man. No big fuss, no empty boastful statements, meaningless blustering and all that kind of rethoric bullshit that usually mesmerize fools. In fact, thankfully just how things must to be done: hard work in discreet, smart and efficient fashion.
We are on the right track, definitely, praise the Lord.
“They are talking. They did not try to sell, but they came to them. There are two groups who love and believe in the way modern Milan was built. So, both that Elliott remains, whether one of these groups takes over, the project will have continuity. (…) “We want to get back to being competitive at the Champions League level. We are still growing because our young players had never played in the Champions League before last season. We aim to improve every year. In this season we never talked [publicly] about winning the Scudetto, but it was our internal goal. We knew that the dream would come true only with hard work.”
*
Words of wisdow by the man. No big fuss, no empty boastful statements, meaningless blustering and all that kind of rethoric nonsense that usually mesmerize fools. In fact, thankfully just how things must to be done: hard work in discreet, smart and efficient fashion.
We are on the right track, definitely, praise the Lord.
Leave the empty rhetoric and boastful nonsense for wannabe ‘capo di tutti capi’ pathetic swashbucklers like Rocco Commisso, AC Milan is way above that.
I’m not sure why everyone thinks they won’t spend money. They have proven they will spend when its justified just as they did with Tomori and Tonali… 50-60 million in those 2 guys who were instrumental to our success this season.
Just because we don’t spend like Madrid, PSG or City does not mean we will not be competitive. We do not have the financial ability to spend like them. Just look at Barcelona who cannot register players because of the financial mess they are in from spending crazy sums on players who haven’t performed or do not fit the DNA of the team.
Just look even at PSG. Ok, loads and loads of money, but what about european glory? The clube is a joke. You’re right.
Ya PSG are a joke LOL. Ok bud. We would all like to be PSG. Win league every practically season and compete in final 8 of CL every season and sign some of the best talent in the world. Ya, sure bud nobody wants to be PSG LMAO.
You wanna be AC Milan, one of the most traditional football clubs of all time, to be like a fvckin’ lousy pathetic side with ZERO CL titles, always trying and never succeeding, the laughing stock of world football? Well, I fee pitty for you, so. But thank God Milan will never be like that garbage.
LOL. Ya because the whole world feels “pitty” for PSG and thinks they are a “laughing stock” – LMAO! So everyone feels Atletico Madrid are a laughing stock of a football club because they never won CL like PSG?? Nottingham Forrest won 2 CL in 1978-1980 – so I guess according to your logic you would rather be Forrest than PSG as they have more lustrous history than PSG in CL. Hahahahaha. You sound like a pure idiot and quite frankly a real jackass kid. What I want us is to be Milan with PSG’s money you donkey lol. Able to buy young dynamic talent like De Ketelare and Nunez. Are you that clueless? Or perhaps your just racist against Arab owners…hmmmm. Either way keep sniffing those glue cans they are doing wonders for you pal lol
Well, I’m not even THINKING about the possibility of answering someone so hopelessly mentally retarded to the point of establishing any kind of comparison between the legacy of Nottingham Forest and Milan. But anyway…
Solid comeback kid! Wow your really going places in life lol. Not surprised you wouldn’t comprehend your own analogy LOL. What a LOSER.