The search for the new AC Milan sporting director resumes again today, and there are four candidates that currently stand out as per a report.
La Gazzetta dello Sport report that after the Fabio Paratici talks fell through as they got towards a conclusion, CEO Giorgio Furlani will unpause talks and begin searching for the right profile to lead a new era at Milan.
The minimum objective for 2025-26 will be qualifying for the next Champions League. At present Milan are on course to be fully out of European football for the first time since 2019-20, when they were disqualified for failure to comply with Financial Fair Play.
Giorgio Furlani spoke before the draw with Fiorentina, stating: “We are focused on preparing for next season, on choosing the right person for the role of sporting director. We want someone who will make us win. The important thing is to choose the right person rather than focusing on timing.”
The idea is not to rush things, even if in the next few days there will be telephone interviews and more. Before Easter we are expecting news, but it is not certain that the position will find its tenant within two weeks.
The options
Furlani has a high regard for Tony D’Amico, who however is tied to a contract with Atalanta. Yesterday, the Nerazzurri director dodged the issue on Sky: “They are rumours and cannot be commented on, otherwise we would never finish doing it.”
D’Amico remains one of the solutions, perhaps the most concrete, even if at this moment there are many variables that could influence the choice. The employment status of the four candidates – D’Amico, Giovanni Sartori, Giovanni Manna and Igli Tare – must certainly be evaluated.
Only Tare is without a contract and is therefore free to start working full-time on the Milan of the future immediately. The others would first have to free themselves from the clubs with which they are under contract.
The risk is that they will be forced to wait at least until the end of the season because Atalanta, Bologna and Napoli are all in the running for significant objectives. Therefore, the idea of them losing a key figure just a few weeks before the end of the season seems unthinkable.
However, there is also the prospect of having to deal with a tug of war with a club that does not want to lose its sporting director even in June. Perhaps this is also why Furlani, having lost the Paratici lead, is in no hurry to conclude and is following the evolution of events.
They lost two months negotiating with Paratici, knowing that he could not return until July 20, and that he has a pending criminal trial. Back to square one now.
Giovanni Sartori, the man to whom the rise of Chievo Verona, the rise of Atalanta and now the rise of Bologna are linked. He knows what he’s doing and it’s time to turn Milan into a championship team.
Dream – Sartori/Italiano
Reality – Tare/Allegri
Let’s face it, it’ll all come down to who’s a cheaper option to get and Tare/Allegri are both free. Tare wouldn’t be a bad choice tho.
Allegri cheap 😀
I don’t know on what planet Bologna would offload their Coach AND Sporting Director after the season they are having.
This. More likely to get D’Amico, as I’m getting a feeling that this summer will be the end of an era in Bergamo, with Gasperini moving on. So it could be a full turnover there, but then again, D’Amico has only been with them for a few years and it’s not like Atalanta is mid-table. It will probably end up being Tare or some rando, like the Monza DS who has done such a great job getting them relegated.
That’s why I wrote it would be a dream move. Dream.