AC Milan have seemingly got their man as Lille confirmed that Paulo Fonseca has left on June 5, which opens the door for his Rossoneri arrival.
With Stefano Pioli departing after the game against Salernitana, Daniele Bonera took the reigns temporarily for Milan’s friendly against AS Roma, but now the arrival of Fonseca seems imminent. However, it has not been plain sailing, as to be expected after the merry-go-round that the managerial situation has provided us with this year.
Several names have been linked with the post, from Antonio Conte to Mark van Bommel, and doubts have remained in place about who would be elected, but in Fonseca, the Rossoneri have a young coach who has a fantastic track record of improving younger talent and impressing people with his style of football.
Furthermore, he led Lille to fourth place in Ligue 1 this season, and that could see them return to the Champions League if they are successful in their qualification.
He will not be the man to confirm their place in the competition, though, as on Wednesday, June 5, Lille announced that the Portuguese manager had left after two seasons in an official statement on their website, which reads:
“Having coached LOSC since the summer of 2022, Paulo Fonseca is leaving the club after two seasons at the end of the 2023-2024 season.
“The 51-year-old Portuguese coach and his staff were instrumental in helping the club qualify for two European finals, including the UEFA Europa Conference League quarter-final against Aston Villa, a first in LOSC’s history. He thus brings his adventure in Lille to a close by qualifying – along with the players – LOSC for the 3rd qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League for the 2024-2025 season.
“On behalf of everyone at LOSC, I’d like to thank Paulo for the work he has done over the two seasons we’ve spent together, and also for the wonderful relationship we’ve built up with him over the last 24 months. It’s been a wonderful adventure, both professionally and on a personal level. I wish him every success with his future club,” the statement continues.
“The Chairman, the directors and the entire Club would like to thank Paulo Fonseca for these two years of cooperation and emotion. They salute his professionalism and his involvement in the Lille project during these two wonderful seasons, and wish him every happiness and success in his next sporting adventure.”
With no strings attached to the manager, it now seems the road ahead is clear for him if it wasn’t already.