L’Equipe: Why the revolving door of Milan goalkeeping coaches is not helping Maignan

One of the issues that might have affected Mike Maignan’s consistency over the past couple of seasons is the number of coaches he has had.

L’Equipe have published a report about Maignan, starting by outlining the fact that he has had so many different goalkeeping coaches, something that the player himself outlined in a press conference after the 2-2 draw against Fiorentina.

“I’m at exactly eight goalkeeping coaches. It’s true that it’s an important thing for a goalkeeper; you tend to build bonds with the coaches. And building bonds takes time. You need a lot of stability; it’s a situation I’m in, and that’s how it is. My experience helps me, but it’s not easy, over the years, to change goalkeeping coaches every time, every year or every six months” he said.

The Brazilian Dida, the Italians Luigi Ragno, Emiliano Betti and Flavio Roma, the Welshman Tony Roberts, the Portuguese Antonio Ferreira and Diamantino Figueiredo, and the Croatian Vedran Runje are the eight coaches he has had.

Gigi Romano, who was in charge of AC Milan’s goalkeeping coaches for over two decades, emphasises: “It’s worrying management, yes. Maignan is an extraordinary player, with a high football IQ, he knows how to do everything. But he trains, sweats, gets dirty, and doesn’t improve. He’s still Maignan, with his talent and his knowledge.”

During his first three seasons at the club, Maignan had the same head coach – Stefano Pioli – but three different goalkeeping coaches. Romano added: “He had his assistant and his fitness coach, but he didn’t have the strength to impose the rest. Paolo Maldini chose the other staff working with the first team: he chose Dida because he was his friend, Roma because he speaks French.”

Dida went when Paolo Maldini did in 2023, and Milan chose Roberts using algorithms. “Maignan is an international profile. If he feels comfortable with a specific person, he has to tell the club. He needs someone who compliments him, gives him a pat on the back, who picks up on his mood; these are the details that make the difference,” insists Romano.

Two years ago, Maignan did suggest the name of Éric Allibert, whom he knew at Lille and who is now at Toulouse FC. The club were then owned by RedBird Capital, the current owner of Milan, and UEFA prohibits this type of cross-involvement.

Romano recalls: “In 1998, Alberto Zaccheroni arrived with his staff. A month later, Sebastiano Rossi went to the board to complain about the new goalkeeping coach. They summoned me and told me, ‘Go train him every day at 11 a.m. at Milanello,’ without Zaccheroni’s staff knowing, so they wouldn’t be devalued. With me, he felt comfortable, had certainties, was able to communicate, we were in harmony. But that came from Rossi, not me.”

Milan is actively looking for a new coach for next season, with yet another new goalkeeping coach, but Maignan – whose future is uncertain – may be at a new club.