Sky journalist Peppe Di Stefano has pessimistically explained why AC Milan’s decision to hire Paulo Fonseca will simply be an ‘extension of the Stefano Pioli era’.
Speaking to Milan News from the Italy National Team training camp, Di Stefano refused to tell Milan fans what they want to hear when it comes to the expected appointment of Fonseca.
The Portuguese coach has not been announced as the new coach yet, but it is clear that he will take over from Stefano Pioli in the very near future after a long search for a replacement.
Many names were linked with the job, some of which were of a higher profile than Fonseca. Despite that, Milan have decided that the Lille coach best suits what the club needs right now. Di Stefano feels it is an extension of the Pioli era in terms of what will be expected from Fonseca.
“I think the coach will be Fonseca. Yesterday Lille said goodbye to him, they are already working on possible names. Why haven’t Milan announced it? For fiscal reasons it had to be next week, that’s what it turns out. Has the management changed its mind? I don’t think so. They’ve taken the extension of the Pioli era, very similar in terms of education, results, tactical system. They don’t expect a 10/10 season but neither do they expect a 4/10,” Di Stefano said.
He then went on to suggest that Fonseca is a ‘more evolved’ version of Pioli who has had more managerial success elsewhere and can perhaps prolong the good spells that Milan enjoyed under Pioli, rather than be dogged by inconsistency.
“He’s a more evolved Pioli. He did much more than was expected with Milan’s squad, while Fonseca arrives having already won with Shakhtar, was at Roma and did well at Lille. The idea is to prolong these results, they made it clear to me that they want a ‘corporate’ coach, who works hand in hand with the management in the search for talent and solutions, not one who goes to press conferences in the style of [Antonio] Conte and asks for champions,” he said.