If there were two words to describe AC Milan’s summer so far, they would probably be ‘confusing’ and ‘chaotic’, for various reasons.
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As La Gazzetta dello Sport write, not even the most daring and unconventional screenwriter could have imagined a month lived like this. From Monday May 25th to Thursday June 25th, nearly everything changed, but at the same time plenty did not happen.
Gerry Cardinale has made some bold calls. Whether he’s succeeded, only time will tell, and we probably won’t have to wait too long. The fans wait to understand the real direction the club are taking, but this ‘isn’t the Milan RedBird had in mind a month ago’.
Sackings and rumours
The day after the defeat against Cagliari, all hell broke loose between Casa Milan and Milanello. With a single statement – unparalleled at this level , and not just for the Rossoneri – the CEO, sporting director, coach and scouting director were sacked.
In the hours following the historic purge, the club had leaked a more than acceptable timeframe for restoring management and coaching: they were talking about a week or so, starting with the management and then moving on to the selection of a new coach. A logical chain of appointments.
From that point, all the initial ideas began to clash with reality, and what Cardinale envisioned as a domino effect became a series of unrelated pieces. That said, the first move was pretty seamless: transition of powers from Giorgio Furlani to Massimo Calvelli, the new CEO.
Then talk began swirling about sporting director/technical director and coach. Not necessarily in that order. The biggest challenge? Quickly bringing in a compatible director and coach. In other words, a coach approved by the sporting director.
The first name was Andoni Iraola, who rejected the role. Then it was Xavi as coach plus Txiki Begiristain for the director role, but neither came that close. Ralf Rangnick’s name re-emerged after previous links, though after an exhausting cycle of headlines he turned Milan down too.
Other candidates were also being considered: most notably Ramon Planes and Devin Ozek, considered a prodigy in Germany. Interviews, casting calls, discussions with candidates, and internal discussions within the club. All these failed to produce a final decision.
The pivot
Meanwhile, the search for a head coach continues. Mauricio Pochettino – the current USA coach – enters the mix, a name unrelated to the other possible candidates for the management position(s) that are vacant.
Two names linked to Rangnick also remain in the spotlight: Oliver Glasner (who strongly wanted Milan and turns down Feyenoord) and Matthias Jaissle. However, as the days pass, both become less interested.
Then, a candidate who trumps all comes forward: Ruben Amorim convinces Cardinale and Ibrahimovic, and within days, he signs with Milan. Is everything settled? No, because directors are still needed above him.
Marcus Krösche and Timmo Hardung enter the frame, the German capital gains wizards who excelled at Eintracht Frankfurt. They were open to joining, then the German club dug their heels in, deciding not to release them and Milan refused to pay the amount needed.
In the most shocking move of all, Cardinale opted for an internal solution, which also has the least financial impact. Whether it will be a bridge or something more permanent will be determined by the results on the pitch, but in the meantime the roles are set.
Calvelli is CEO, supported by David Castelblanco (Head of Sports & Media at RedBird). Hendrik Almstadt is the director of player trading (essentially sporting director). Bobby Gardiner is the Milan’s director of Football Intelligence (data and algorithms). Donato Lomonte is the head of scouting.
After a hundred names, a thousand rumors and just as many meetings, the new Milan restart like this. May 25th to June 25th was a month lived dangerously, where so much was promised but in the end very little was delivered.