AC Milan will enter a new era after Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara were sacked as the technical director and sporting director yesterday.
As La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) reports this morning, the revolution at Milan will not just concern the departures of Maldini and Massara, but also could see changes to the previous structure.
Until yesterday, the two heads of the technical area dealt directly with the market, negotiating the buying and selling of players and the renewals of those already in the squad.
Now, it is expected that there will be an internal reorganisation that will see roles and responsibilities divided between those who already work at Milan, such as the CEO Giorgio Furlani who took over from Ivan Gazidis.
Market management will pass into the hands of Furlani as per the paper, Elliott Management’s former portfolio manager whose duties have already grown considerably in recent months, as he played a hand in the renewal of Rafael Leao.
While the work of Maldini and Massara with Leao’s representatives was of course productive, without the CEO’s entry into the scene to try and agree a strategy over the fine owed to Sporting CP, his extension would most likely have remained a difficult puzzle to solve.
Geoffrey Moncada – the head of AC Milan scouting who has worked for the Rossoneri since the early days of Elliott – is destined for more responsibility too. He has already contributed to signings such as Fikayo Tomori and Pierre Kalulu.
Moncada co-ordinates a network of ten scouts and in recent years has had fruitful talks with Maldini and Massara, so now might be the right time for him to take on a bigger role.
Cardinale believes in the ‘Moneyball’ style market, i.e. players selected on the basis of data. He stated before: “Everyone has them, the difference is how you use them. Billy Beane was decisive in convincing me that European football could be a great opportunity.”
Well, Beane himself – the player-trading guru who revolutionised baseball and inspired a successful film with Brad Pitt – is one of the pillars on which Milan will rely more and more for the transfer market.
He already collaborates with RedBird regarding the Rossoneri and now it will intensify. The same could happen with Luke Bornn, the man from Zelus Analytics, the data analysis company that planned the takeover of Toulouse.
Two idiots .how huge is that American ego
Jesus Christ….Milan is turning into a Hollywood scenario…
Billy Jean or whatever his name is is not going to accomplish anything at Milan.
European football is totally different from baseball and other US funny sports.
#redbirdout #cardinaleout
So there’s a reason baseball was the first sport to do this, a lot less variables in player by player matchups means it’s very open to being analysed and data modelled.
But if you think that those sports are ‘silly’ or that they’re not used in football then you’re very much mistaken – quantifying matchups and situations in football has been huge development over the last decade and is a major advantage for clubs that got into it earlier – xG is a poster child for it but the number of different things that go into measuring the success rate of passing that advances the team, the distance and forward movements players generate, the quality of chances generated and the quality of shots forwards are taking…. and so much more – these metrics are here and not going anywhere. Use them or lose out.
Now I’m not saying Maldini and Massara didn’t use them or that they’re the only important thing, but it’s no bad thing to have stats and data models to try to gain advantages.
I was referring to the general idea that Cardinale set.
Setting a transfer market strategy based on income/outcome (spend less than what you make) is a formula that doesn’t work in European football.
Baseball, NFL etc are each under one league,
under specific rules and conditions.
Here it’s totally different. In Europe with have different leagues, teams that earn different amounts (Premier League).
UEFA cannot deal with FFP violations.
You cannot compete with other clubs based on Gerry’s American dream…
If Milan wants to be the club they once were, management has to inject a significant amount for transfer budget.
P.S Maldini’s removal proves how Cardinale has no idea what Milan is and what it represents.
“Setting a transfer market strategy based on income/outcome (spend less than what you make) is a formula that doesn’t work in European football.”
LOL. That’s just the basics of ANY business. You make more money than you spend. That’s the starting point. WIthout it, you’re doomed to fail. For sure.
My friend you have no clue what is going on in European football…
Who told you that the clubs are economically successful??
Have you the slightest idea what Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juve, Inter and many more clubs owe????
“Have you the slightest idea what Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juve, Inter and many more clubs owe????”
I do actually. And you can remove Real from the list as their finances are in waaaay better form than the rest of the list. The debts will come and bite them in the ass. You cannot run on loan money forever.
Inter. Good example you chose. The owners have to pay 300M€ this year or they’ll lose the club. I bet that’ll do wonders to the club.
Who said fortune favours the brave?
In the real world of European football champions are formulated from Intelligent, innovative and risk takers.
Reality is that Cardinale owns Milan and it’s his responsibility to create something that will make Milan and himself great and have world take note.
“EGO”?
I wish AC Milan the very best of luck and you Rosso Neri Fans get on board and have fun!
I fear ACM is heading towards the utterly WRONG direction. Plus missing another great opportunity and a second year in a row to take a leap forwards (this happened last year with an ill-timed ownership exchange which stalled/ compromised all summer market).
Time will tell….
Not to overlook, what a shame and pity to discharge in such manners one of the most influential figures of our last 30years.
What a turmoil (to my opinion on the verge of stupidity)
“They saw in opportunity in European Football”..That means they want to cash in on OUR LEGACY TO FATTEN THEIR POCKETS. This spells out what I have been saying since they, these AMERICANS took this team. Used Maldini, our symbol to attract the core of this team and once he got them on board with the club, THEY FIRED HIM. THEY ARE RATS. THIS IS NO LONGER OUR CLUB. It is just a cash cow for their investment portfolio and these last few days tells you what we have be hurling from the top of our lungs since they let Hakan, Kessie and Donnaruma leave, it was ownership that were responsible for that, NOT MALDINI OR MASSARA.
Having Arsenal’s CEO, the man who let VAN PERSIE LEAVE AND SENT THAT CLUB INTO AN OBLIVION and now literally hiring Mr.MONEYBALL HIMSELF. DON’T SAY I DIDN’T TELL YOU SO. IT WAS WRITTEN IN THE SKY THEY WERE DOING THIS.
THEY HAVE NO RESPECT FOR OUR HISTORY AND CULTURE. THEY ARE SHARKS.
YOU SAW MALDINI STAND UP TO THESE IDIOTS, THEY FIRED HIM FOR IT AFTER HE BUILT THE CORE OF OUR TEAM. They used our legacy and symbol to secure their assets then disposed of him.
CULTURE VULTURES OUT.
These new owners are the DEVIL, NOT IN THE FOOTBALL SENSE BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT AND NEVER WILL BE ONE OF OUR OWN.
Sorry, but what top club isn’t a vehicle for either soft power or making money these days? There are some around still, check out Union Berlin’s success in Germany for instance, but to think the Milan legacy from the 90s wasn’t built upon soft power influence for Berlusconi is just ignoring the truth.
Hakan and Kessie that you mention came to Milan for a wage rise and left for a wage rise. Donnarumma left chasing cash. Others will do the same in future.
Unless you’re from Milan/Italy and grew up with it as part of your community (I’m not, though I’ve visited several times) then I’m afraid we’re all part of that in the same way; having such a global audience is what invites the state ownership or the venture capitalists. You want that to change? Find the billionaire who loves the club and doesn’t care about money or create a grassroots movement to buy out Redbird, otherwise that it what it is.
You are clearly missing the point, the elephant in the room.Hakan didn’t leave over multimillions, he left for a couple of hundred thousand because they refused to offer him more than what their computer said he was worth. Kessie was willing to renew and they refused to give him a FAIR SALARY. HE WASN’T ASKING FOR 12 MILLION. Donnaruma would have stayed for 5 to 6 million as well. 6 to 6.5 million for your starting 11, ELITE PERFORMERS IN THOSE CRITICAL POSITIONS, is the bare minimum salary floor to be able to have a chance of not being embarrassed on the field in Europe. I am not talking about winning the Scudetto and CL perennially. Bare minimum chance of being SOMEWHAT COMPETITIVE.
You can have a model based on sustainability and use statistics to identify talent, you also have to have people like Maldini that pick up on intangibles that a computer model and idiot in a suit can’t who will help you acquire then NURTURE THE TALENT. They can crunch numbers all they want, you need the mind of a Maldini to make them matter and discern the difference between a winner or a liability that looks great on paper, or these days in an algorithm.
When you have assets within your wall, secured and they are willing to stay for under market value but higher than your self imposed budgets, the team ALWAYS HAS TO OPT TO RETAIN THOSE ASSETS, then cash in ONLY AFTER YOU HAD TWO OR 3 SEASONS TO PREPARE THEIR REPLACEMENT THAT LEARNED HOW TO PLAY, THINK AND WIN FROM THOSE PLAYERS. Machines don’t teach you that. Culture, is a mindset, it is built on the field, not in boardrooms.
The players I mentioned were willing to compromise on their demands and THESE AMERICANS ADVISING OUR CLUB SAID WE WOULD REFUSE TO BUDGE FROM A BUDGET. The difference in salaries can be made up for when they are sold AND ACHIEVE SPORTING RESULTS. WE WOULD BE PUNCHING ABOVE OUR WEIGHT EVEN AT THE SALARIES PAID TO RETAIN THEM. By 2025 2026, we could have easily doubled our profits by selling Kessie, Hakan and Donnaruma. Make Maignan split the sticks with Gigi for a couple years to sell him. He did it a PSG, he would have done it for us. WE DIDNT EVEN OFFER HIM A DEAL. HE WAS WILLING TO STAY FOR LESS THAN 7 MILLION, FOR A PLAYER OF HIS CALIBER THAT IS CRUMBS RELATIVE TO THE INCOME YOU GENERATE BY SELLING HIM. I am not saying we have to spend like drunken sailors in a strip club. You have to still know when to pay your money makers to ensure your cash flow.
The point is these morons lack the human decision making and knowledge of sports psychology, team building, to know when to push or when to let go of ideals. An extra 30 millon your wage budget yearly will NOT AFFECT THE TEAM’S SUSTAINABILITY OR PUT OUR FINANCIAL HEALTH IN JEOPARDY, ONLY THE SIZE OF THE CHEQUES THEY HAND OUT TO SHAREHOLDERS Yearly. This isn’t Toulouse or the Oakland A’s. We ARE AC MILAN.
That’s a fair and well thought out reply, thanks for making it. I don’t completely agree with your points (for example, I think it’s becoming harder for top clubs to sell players on huge salaries due to the increasing financial gaps between the top and bottom of leagues) but it’s good discussion.
6.5 is not a huge salary on a 5 year deal for a player in his sporting prime and will still be in a 3 years. Any team will take a 2 to 3 time Scudetto winning Kessie at 9 million yearly with thwir eyes closed. Had we kept him, we could still sell him next year for 70 million, would have been easy.
In fact you give us 4 goals and 6 assists on our season more by having him instead of Krunic, our 10 draws could hypothetically turn into 10 wins. That puts us in 1st place, go look up the income difference between 1st and 5th in Serie A. Then consider the deteriorating performances of Kalulu and Tomori, you have Kessie winning the ball, keeping the ball and help us create the convert chances with the ball, it means they are left less exposed. It gives them 1 second more on a counter or break to get their footing, body positioning and timing right to win tackles that they were unable to make. It cost us less set pieces in our box since we stay on the other side of the pitch more often. It also keeps Bennacer, Tonali fresher, less wear and tear on them short abd long term. So even if Kessie didnt contribute 10 more goals in assists and scoring himself, he sure as hell would have saved us more goals against us that would have secured us a title defense. That is for 6.5 million this year. 2.5 more than they fiddled arround and tried to make him accept. Our defense and finishing touch in the box suffered most. Has Kessie written all over it. You can sell him anyday with your eyes closed at a thumping profit. You are lucky to have 10 players as good at him in an all around position WORLDWIDE. Go look at the top 10 earners in central midfield positions, Kessie at 6.5 is a rock bottom salary when you consider he is irreplaceable within a 3 to 4 year window. They needed Pobega playing along side him for 2 or 3 years to at least have a player ready for the pressure of player for us even if he wasn’t equal talent, he could pick up on subtle details in training and playing with Kessie that only experience can buy. Your shit algorithms don’t teach or give you that. NUANCE. DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS, THE SMALL DETAILS, cumulatively WERE OVERLOOKED for multiple windows were EXPOSED THIS YEAR. All comes down to those ownership decisions and hard wired budget stupidities. They dont GET this game. It shows
6.5 is not a huge salary on a 5 year deal for a player in his sporting prime and will still be in a 3 years. Any team will take a 2 to 3 time Scudetto winning Kessie at 9 million yearly with thwir eyes closed. Had we kept him, we could still sell him next year for 70 million, would have been easy.
In fact you give us 4 goals and 6 assists on our season more by having him instead of Krunic, our 10 draws could hypothetically turn into 10 wins. That puts us in 1st place, go look up the income difference between 1st and 5th in Serie A. Then consider the deteriorating performances of Kalulu and Tomori, you have Kessie winning the ball, keeping the ball and help us create the convert chances with the ball, it means they are left less exposed. It gives them 1 second more on a counter or break to get their footing, body positioning and timing right to win tackles that they were unable to make. It cost us less set pieces in our box since we stay on the other side of the pitch more often. It also keeps Bennacer, Tonali fresher, less wear and tear on them short abd long term. So even if Kessie didnt contribute 10 more goals in assists and scoring himself, he sure as hell would have saved us more goals against us that would have secured us a title defense. That is for 6.5 million this year. 2.5 more than they fiddled arround and tried to make him accept. Our defense and finishing touch in the box suffered most. Has Kessie written all over it. You can sell him anyday with your eyes closed at a thumping profit. You are lucky to have 10 players as good at him in an all around position WORLDWIDE. Go look at the top 10 earners in central midfield positions, Kessie at 6.5 is a rock bottom salary when you consider he is irreplaceable within a 3 to 4 year window. They needed Pobega playing along side him for 2 or 3 years to at least have a player ready for the pressure of player for us even if he wasn’t equal talent, he could pick up on subtle details in training and playing with Kessie that only experience can buy.
Data and stats are ok, but it doesn’t mean that someone with good numbers will fit in your team style and play.
Correct, but the opposite is true in that it can help you identify and find players who will fit into the style of play, if such a strategy is in place.
Sad to see that we are going to be a club where we buy the lower-value players and sell them at a high value…from being a club of legends, we are going to be a club that sells players… hard to digest. I hope. Clubs like Barcelona and Madrid will not fall into the hands of this kind of money-making venture capitalist. All they see is money.. they don’t give a dam about the club or the fans’ passion. Legends. I think I am coming to the end of following this club.. they are also going woke .bringing these woke agendas from America that destroyed movies, comedy, and sports. American business men ideas are from pits of hell
Well let me tell you guys something. This isn’t baseball, American football, basketball. This is football, this is calcio. The whole set up of this sport is completely different what your used to. You have draft pick, salary caps and all that so 30 teams can compete against each other. Here in Europe, if you don’t build a strong team you’re going to fail.
I personally dont like it but in EPL you have Brighton and Brentford that have risen to glory using yhe very system.
Nothing we can do, just hope it works
Still better then signing Arautobitch
Brentford and Brighton we are AC MILAN HUGEV DIFERENCE
Yeah, the difference being that two of them are overachieving and one of them isn’t.
(actually, that’s not true, I think Milan has overachieved these last two years, winning the title on the fourth highest wage bill and getting to a UCL semi final)
You’re missing the point. The point is doing more with less. “We are AC Milan” but all of our peers blow us out of the water with their spending. The answer is not to find a petrostate for an owner. The answer is to find the best way to work within what they make. I’m not happy with the way Maldini and Massara were shown the door, but PSG and Man City are fake clubs. The blatantly flaunt the rules every day. Uefa does nothing because they are corrupt. Barcelona has mortgaged its future to sta afloat, 1bn in debt. Only Bayern, which IMHO is the best run club in the world, can spend 80m on one player and not be in debt. Even then they’ve only done that once or twice in their history.
We’ll said
I agree with you completely on your main points, but I don’t agree UEFA are corrupt in that way. They tried some pretty harsh sanctions for Man City but got thwarted by very expensive lawyers and courts ruling on technicalities, not the situation.
Hahahahahaha seriously hmmm ok toulouse won champions league and we will win too…..but yes miracles do happen saachi revolutionise football with his attacking play so why can’t these our Yankees……to all rossoneris we are in process of doing something new which the footballing world have never witnessed…..jokes apart now we are comparing basketball with football well lucky for mr cardinale I would have added something much more but being milan owner and the respect we show to our beloved club I will keep my mouth shut till things clears and season begins…if this time things didn’t work out I can rest assure sansiro will be hell for our american owner…..you don’t invest in summer mercato 2022 then expect why we ended up being in 4th…..then you Shell out 35m and cdk flops we cry like baby well to counter argue what about theo Mike and all didn’t their value rose…..its simple nothing hits bulls eye sometimes you do suffer some miss hits….Maldini might have his flaws but he was a bridge for owner with fans and with players……
We already use data even before RedBird, because Moncada also use data.
if they use movie for the reference like moneyball, they should watch Trouble with a Curve from Clint Eastwood 😉
and after that, Daniel-Day Lewis 2007 movie,
There Will be Blood 🤣
Change is scary and the cowards are out in force. Something had to give. Arnautovic was Maldini’s solution to the number 9, maybe after hearing that Gerry had enough.
Honestly last season’s decisions by the transfer team were terrible and although Pioli did nothing to integrate the new players into the team Maldini did a poor job.
You could already foresee Milan’s future from this article and from here (https://sempremilan.com/corsera-maldinis-exit-bad-news-de-ketelaere)
“One of the reasons that prompted Cardinale to break with Maldini was the failure of the 2022 summer transfer window and in particular the choice of the directors to invest 70% of the available budget (€35m euros out of €50m) on a single player”
It all makes sense now why Maldini was sacked.
From now on, it’s BUSINESS FIRST and FOOTBALL SECOND.
This is how it would be for years to come:
Moncada scouts for promising prospects with huge potential, recommends some signings.
Furlani or New SD & TD signs these reccomended prospects at lowest cost possible.
After a few seasons, prospects reach their full potential (hopefully), becomes a star/key player.
Their values skyrocketed then its time to cash in.
Repeat from the top – again and again and again and again and again and again and again.
Perhaps maybe – then build a stadium.
Win the UCL?
Nahh no need for that.
Why would you go through a tournament that consists of elite teams/clubs across Europe battling it out to become champions of Europe just earn prize money when you can make more money by selling prospects for profit??
Serie A champion???
Nahhh prize money is peanuts.
Selling Leao at his release clause of 150mil is equivalent to 6 Serie A titles’ prize money.
Theo Hernandez was valued at 60mil – thats equivalent to 3 Serie A titles’ prize money.
Besides, moncada can get us “the next” Leao or Theo easily.
well, moneyball indeed gave the baseball club the money..but it didn’t give the trophy…instead of watching it, cardinale should watch the “trouble with the curve” film. it showed that the eyes of the legend will always give you more than what u want…
but yeah…it’s already settled.our beloved captain has left, but milan still there, so let’s hope that this strategy will success