Julen Lopetegui has finally spoken out about how close he was to becoming the head coach of AC Milan and why it didn’t happen in the end.
When it was confirmed that Stefano Pioli would be leaving his post as the manager of Milan after nearly five years in charge, the name that was first close to being hired as his replacement was Lopetegui.
However, this was not met with mass approval from the fanbase who instead chose to make their displeasure known, even launching social media campaigns. In the end, the directors decided to abandon the idea and turned to Paulo Fonseca, who would last just 24 games in charge.
Would Lopetegui have done any better? It is hard to tell, but he took over at West Ham and also didn’t last too long. The Spaniard spoke during an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport and he was asked about the links with Milan and he gave his side of the story on things.
Let’s start from last May…
“Milan got in touch and I am very happy. A historic and attractive team, and I have always liked the Italian league and I have always followed it attracted by the way of understanding football as a team game.
“Arrigo [Sacchi] strongly stimulated my curiosity for football, he has inspired me, I have studied him and I have been lucky enough to know him. The negotiation progressed well, then it stopped suddenly. It is not up to me to indicate and comment on the reasons for the stop.”
Was this the first time you were contacted by an Italian club?
“No, it happened in the past too, at times when I had other ideas. But the discussion with Serie A is not over. Sooner or later I would like to and honestly I think I will be able to test myself in what I consider a very stimulating championship from a tactical point of view.”
What are your thoughts on Milan-Feyenoord tonight?
“Today in the Champions League almost all teams are capable of creating problems for their opponents. And there are leagues that are less demanding and that allow young players to grow well and compete better in Europe, focusing on the continental objective.
“Feyenoord changed coaches and saw Gimenez move to Milan, two notable moves but evidently the structure was solid, as we saw in the first leg. Then it is clear that Milan has the qualities needed to come back.”
