AC Milan appear to have pulled back on their plans to hire Julen Lopetegui as their new head coach, and a large part of that decision is due to fan pressure as per a report.
This morning’s edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) has a two-page spread dedicated to Milan’s pursuit of a new manager, titled: ‘Milan slow down. Fans in revolt: no to Lopetegui. The Diavolo reopen the casting.Online petitions and social media unleashed with #Nopetegui. Cardinale’s club listens to the voices from outside. Now they will look for another coach’.
Retweet after retweet on the #Nopetegui petition arrived, and the news reached Casa Milan. It is a popular wave that overwhelmed the Rossoneri’s plans, because they couldn’t help but notice that it had over 10,000 signatures in less than 48 hours.
The hashtag remained trending for a long time and the idea of unfollowing the club’s official accounts on social media also came about as a sign of protest. The statement from the Curva Sud also fuelled the storm with the invitation to immediately rethink and to be ambitious.
Furthermore, the hypothesis that the discontent of the fans would lead to some form of protest in the next matches at San Siro – starting from Sunday against Genoa – could not be ruled out. Thus, the Lopetegui to Milan idea has already definitively failed.
Positive meetings
The former Spain coach was the chosen one and Gerry Cardinale was ready to hire him. What convinced the owners and management was Lopetegui’s CV: international experience with top clubs and the ability to develop the talent of young players to the point of launching them into senior football.
He also has a professional and human style in line with the ideal profile outlined by the club. The first contacts date back to last December, after the Rossoneri drew 2-2 away against Salernitana. Milan were in a crisis of results, performances and injuries.
The last meeting a few days ago, when a draft contract was final: three years at €4m net per season, the idea of a long-lasting and successful project. A few weeks of waiting and Milan would have started fresh with Lopetegui, once they reached their destination with Pioli.
The club’s esteem goes to the Scudetto-winning coach, which is why every indiscretion about the future was denied after the match against Juventus by the CEO Giorgio Furlani, even if we can all now read between the lines.
An overwhelming response
Once news broke that Lopetegui was coming, thousands subscribed to the idea that the former Real Madrid and Spain head coach was not up to expectations.
Some saw the other side, one whereby Lopetegui won the Europa League with Sevilla, titles with the Spanish youth national teams until he earned the senior national team job, then a run of 16 wins and four draws to lead the team to the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
The federation decided to fire him before the start of the tournament due to an agreement already signed with Real Madrid and announced by Florentino Perez. Lopetegui lasted four months in Madrid before being sacked.
Lopetegui has also coached Rayo Vallecano, Porto and Sevilla. His work at Wolverhampton 2022-23 was interrupted with the termination of the contract due to disagreements related to the mercato and the club’s financial problems.
More so than the distant successes Spain and Sevilla, the fans seemed to focus more on the flops in the knowledge that Milan, who have just seen their rivals celebrate the league title, need certainties.
A sensitive moment
The club listen and have listened to the voice of the fans: they will not be influenced in their choices, but they respect the feelings of the supporters, especially in a moment of widespread despair.
Despite the results of the season finale, San Siro continues to sell out as Milanisti show their loyalty. The club prides itself on having the best fans in the world, so much so that it involves them in numerous initiatives. Their position, so clear, cannot be ignored.
The second casting for the new head coach will reopen shortly, although the club wants to reflect calmly. They have drawn up an identikit: a coach capable of developing young players, with international experience and collaborative in choices.
Now they are looking for the profile that fits perfectly. Including the economic cons: the next manager’s salary must not go outside the club’s guidelines.
In the meantime, Pioli will arrive at the end of the season with a fourth consecutive Champions League qualification secured. Last May he played in the semi-final of that tournament, a year earlier he was a Scudetto winner. To think that he had been welcomed with the ‘#PioliOut’.
If they are really that swayed by a bit of fan protest, then that is ridiculous.
I didnt want him as well but Just imagine how this guy lopetegui feels right now being so disliked to the point where 10.000 people sign a petition against you 😂. Milanistas can be proud tho we did this 🙌🏼❤️🖤
That’s not something to be proud of.. online lynching of a dude who done nothing to anybody
The biggest criticism about this current management is their middle of the road approach with everything they attempt..they must start showing ambition for the fans to start trusting them again. Get a top class striker, search for a decent coach, just do something jaw dropping fpr crying out loud otherwise we will always view these efforts as half hearted attempts at getting the team back on top. We always seem to scrape the bottom of the barrel when it comes to showing intent. Not much comfort if we want to start competing again…
name a top class striker?
Seriously with all the names being thrown around I’m surprised Hansi’s name hasn’t been mentioned although I heard he’s linked with westham even though he wanted Barcelona. Who’s to say he won’t be intrigued by the Milan project?
It hurts when you figure out how this menagement actualy thougt he is good enogh for Milan …they are absolutely clueless about football
It’s funny isn’t it?
But we conducted some interviews and he really impressed us with his experience!
Why do you need an interview to tell you what is available on a Wikipedia page?
All they’ve done is expose themselves and they don’t seem to understand that.
At least have the balls to tell the fans to pi$$ off.
So Milan has taken out a 2 page spread to explain itself. As soon as they start talking about the process as though its a justification you know the piece has been written by Milan.
‘But Gerry was impressed’ it’s as though they expect there to be a revelation that no one wanted Lopetegui, that he just became the anointed one as part of some osmotic process – it wasn’t Gerry’s fault.
These people don’t understand that they are the problem. They are the ones who are not trusted because they can’t articulate a coherent vision and can’t produce a set of options that are consistent with a coherent vision.
The question you have to ask is whether these people get Epsteined into positions in finance because when all is laid bare they make dumb decisions inconsistent with the reputation that proceeds them.
Gerry’s impressed.. as if this guy knows football and coaching lol
As for Julen… Even West Ham fans are saying no to him. Milan fans are absolutely right to protest. This dumb management needs to evaluate itself. Whoever got impressed by meeting this guy needs to get himself far away from coach selection process, aka Gerry. People who dont know ANYTHING about football shouldn’t be in this process. Stick to Hollywood and fundraising Gerry.
They sacked Maldini and sold Tonali but now the press wants us to believe they care about us?
This is just press bs to make articles and sale ads.
I’ve been thinking about that.
It is hard to see Zlatan accepting Lopetgui, for example.
But does Gerry want to be Zlatan’s bitch more than Jorge Mendes’ bitch?
I think you gotta just take it at face value.
The toxicity had already been injected ever since they extended M and M contracts 5 minutes before deadline. So since day one they have the ultimate disrespect to Mladini (the club’s history), and to what was done before them.
This international experience criteria is nonsense. It’s Italian coaches that are the best in the world, Italian coaches have won titles in all the major leagues and it’s an Italian coach who has won more UCL than anyone else. Guardiola is the exception, not the rule when it comes to Spanish coaches. This obsession with foreigners and looking outside the league needs to stop.