AC Milan are expected to make a choice on who will be the next head coach within the next couple of weeks and three names stand out at present, it is claimed.
According to what is being reported by Pietro Mazzara of MilanNews in his latest column, the shortlist got one name shorter over the past couple of days given Marco Rose has announced that he will remain at RB Leipzig.
Therefore there are ‘three names that remain hot’ at the moment: Sergio Conceiçao of Porto, Thiago Motta of Bologna and Paulo Fonseca of Lille. There are ‘no openings’ regarding Antonio Conte, despite the pushes from a large section of the fanbase and the repeated links.
Mazzara writes that Conceicao is ‘moving like someone who wants to leave Porto’ which only strengthens his candidacy. He is a coach who ‘reflects the profile they are looking for at Casa Milan’, just as there are ‘many characteristics of Thiago Motta that are convincing’.
Fonseca is attracting interest from Milan, but also from Marseille. He will decide at the end of the season, but Milan can’t wait much longer.
These two weeks are the ones in which they will have to move concretely, because there is a summer mercato to be done based on the characteristics of the players that the new coach will ask for.
Motta will 100% stay at Bologna. Please stop including him in your made up lists.
I wouldnt be too surprised if that actually happens as it would also make sense considering that they have now qualified for cl. This might be the only chance to bring bologna back to prior strengths of the past for the next many decades and keeping him and their crop of players should be in the interest of the club. The club is at least a 5th shared most winning serie a team in the history of the league which should be respected even if their last championship is roughly 60 years ago.
Add to that Motta would also have a year more to further develope his ideas before taking a big leap to a more high profiled club, I wouldnt mind him joining us but i would be able to understand if he choses to stay for another year or two and trying to go all the way.
He can’t lose if he stays. No one would expect a repeat of this season where they can realistically finish 3rd!
If he finished in a good European spot in the league and picked up some memorable points in the UCL, his reputation is stronger.
If they failed to cope with the extra game a week and finished, say 10-13 and didn’t put up that much of a show on Wednesday’s, this season will still be fresh in the memory and his reputation is no weaker.
He’s in a very rare situation where he can gain UCL experience with the limelight of coming from a top league but without any of the pressure.
Plus, look at the respect Xavi Alonso is getting for turning down Liverpool and Bayern, and finishing the project he started. That will go a long way next summer!
Obviously, I hope Conceicao is the right man for the job and we don’t need a new manager by then 😀
If Bologna stays intact i think they could maybe qualify for europe next year as well which wouldnt be bad even if only in the europa league its still something to build upon and thereby strengthen the club but sure he is probably not gonna lose out on anything staying there for a bit longer.
Yeah i think you are right there.
sure.
Absolutely.
Yeah Xabis reputation certainly hasn’t lessened by that choice as it shows he is a man of integrity even though we already knew that to begin with.
I wouldn’t mind any of the choices in between Motta, De Zerbi or Concecao. The Portugese seems like a well fitting choice though.
I think Conceicao will happen, personally. I wouldn’t say no to Conte either – even if he ‘did a Conte’ and imploded in year 3, years 1 and 2 would probably be very fruitful and set us up well for the future.
Out of all the names being chucked about I would really like De Zerbi, but I don’t think for one second we’d ever buy out his contract.
I think you are probably right and that’s also a fine choice. In regard of Conte that’s my biggest fear but if he joins us ill support him after some initial complaints. I quite liked the player but not the coach.
Yeah i would also be quite surprised if we actually did buy out De Zerbis release clause.
@papa 100% correct
It’s a win-win for Motta if he stays put
Probably not if Bologna gets sliced apart. It will become too much work for him to create a new squad under double pressure.
True but the timing is difficult on that. If they were to get torn apart that would be over the course of a summer and all the big jobs will be taken by then.
You expect he’s already had the conversation about reinvesting the Zirkzee money, who else he’s prepared to lose if the right offer comes in and who are the names to replace them.
That is unless of course they want to take the opportunity to cash in on him, which I hadn’t considered, but I doubt it.
Ok, not 100%, but I’m….95% certain Motta will stay at Bologna 😀
Pietro Mazzara are very reliable source. Well only 3 shortlist and motta the best choice among them
I don’t understand how fans can push for Conte. Conte comes from a quite disappointing spell at Tottenham
and has always plays with a 3 man defense. Ac Milan does not have wing backs except Theo and the best offensive players are wingers (Pulisic, Leao, Chuko) and offensive midfields (Lotus Cheek, Reinnders). All the defenders are more suitable for a 4 man defense except maybe Kalulu.
You will have to completely rebuild the squad for no reason. The only big name that would make sense is Tuchel.
People can change 😃.
Anyway, on another plane, it’s why I would prefer Pioli rests for one year or 6 months before going for another job. He would be an upgrade of his current self if he does.
who didnt have a disappointing spell at Tottenham? Name one.
And honestly we can switch this up to a 343 easily, or a 352. As long as the idea of how to play is clear the players will adapt. Formations, end of the day, are just a thing for people to see how they are supposedly standing on the pitch.. Mid game its all freeflowing based on situations
This ^
Thiaw and Tomori could absolutely play in a 3. I would go as far as to say Thiaw is better suited to it – he does his best work when he steps forward a line, but there is no one to tuck in when he does.
Tomori with the ball is a liability and his limitations will be even more clear in a back 3. Thiaw maybe can work. But it’s the offensive players that won’t fit. Leao, Pulisic and Chuku will be heavily penalized by a 3-5-2, Lotus and Reinjders by a 3-4-3. You will need to buy at least two wing backs as only Theo and Terracciano are not enough. And we already need to buy at least a striker, a DM and a CB.
penalized? how? If Chiesa, a winger, can play a SS in 352 why cant Leao or Puli or Chukster? And the mids will do what they need to do. We already dont have mids for a 4231 because 4 of our 6 mids are mezzalas. The RM LM is the least of a problem. Probably the easiest positon to play in football
We can all agree Motta has done REEEEEEALLY well this season. But what no one is mentioning is the person behind the scenes who made it all possible, and that’s Sartori, their sporting director.
We don’t have a sporting director. Our hierarchy is odd. Maldini hadn’t been replaced. We need a central figure pulling it all together. Is that supposed to be Ibra? not sure…. Furlani? No, he’s a numbers guy… Ottavio and Moncada? Scouts….
Perplexing…
As someone who argues fervently against the anti-American rhetoric on here, I agree with you completely.
Motta aside, there’s nothing in any of the other two that strikes me as an upgrade from Pioli. I hope we have the guts to stick with him when we realise there isn’t an available upgrade on the market.