Ralf Rangnick has revealed that he was contacted by Milan not long after they decided to hire Stefano Pioli as the new head coach.
For months it seemed that Rangnick would be arriving in a role as head coach and technical director, leading the Rossoneri on another revolution based on his way of operating at RB Leipzig.
However, things seemed to very quickly fall apart. As Milan went on a fantastic run of results, reports broke during the first half of the 2-1 win over Sassuolo claiming Pioli would be staying on as boss and that the proposed arrival of Rangnick was cancelled.
Rangnick went on to reveal that he did not end up at Milan due to the excellent run that the club were enjoying after the league resumed, and he has now offered more insight during an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“I was first contacted at the end of October, when the team was three points off the relegation zone,” Rangnick revealed (via FootballItalia).
“I never talked about it in public. I do want to make it clear that I never signed a contract or had a clause. Up until three weeks ago, I was tied to Red Bull.
“As for Milan, they were the best team post-Coronavirus lockdown, so changing would not have been wise of respectful. Pioli deserved to keep his job and I appreciated the kind of person he is, as in interviews he was always focused on objectives. Whether this is the right decision for Milan in the medium and long term is another matter.”
Rangnick went on to outline what his vision for Milan would have been, referencing rivals Inter and Atalanta as models to follow both from a style of play point of view and an economic perspective.
“What would I do? Set a concrete objective, such as Champions League qualification, because nobody enjoys playing in the Europa League,” he added.
“They have a perfect example just 30km from Milan: Atalanta have a third of Milan’s revenue, but keep finishing ahead of them in the table. It’s because they make intelligent investments, have one of the best youth academies in Europe, and it’s not just about Gian Piero Gasperini. It’s a team sport.
“I am also impressed with Antonio Conte’s style of football at Inter, which is sophisticated, active and aggressive. My idea of football has always been about keeping a high tempo, pressing and counter-pressing, something in America they now call ‘Ralfball.’ All the young players in our academies grow up with that now.”
