Speculation continues to swirl regarding who will be the next head coach of AC Milan when the time comes for Stefano Pioli, and there is a candidate leading the way.
This morning’s edition of Tuttosport (via MilanNews) begins a report by stating that there is still a fair bit of time left until the end of the season and it is still impossible to predict exactly what will happen at Milan.
The biggest question remains Pioli’s future which of course depends on many factors, including how the team get on between now and the end of the season, but the signs are not promising.
The two points dropped on Saturday evening against Bologna and Inter’s subsequent victory against Fiorentina, made a Scudetto comeback that already promised to be very difficult even more complicated.
At the moment Milan are too far from Inter and Juventus to legitimately mount a comeback (even if they will play each other in the big match next weekend), but they are comfortably inside the Champions League places.
The Rossoneri have also already been eliminated from the Coppa Italia and this is why the Europa League – which will start again in a couple of weeks – becomes a tempting opportunity for Pioli and his squad.
Although we can talk about a farewell at the end of the season, it is right to underline that the club still totally trust Pioli and that, for this reason, it is not certain that the separation will be automatic.
Clearly, however, evaluations are being made about possible replacements, also because this summer the coaching market promises to be busier than ever.
Thiago Motta is in pole position if Pioli were to leave. The profile of the Bologna head coach is the most realistic and suitable one, both from an economic point of view and from a project point of view.
He is a coach that is totally in line with the RedBird Capital plan of playing proactive football and developing young players, like Joshua Zirkzee who could then follow him to San Siro.
The upper floors of Casa Milan also really like Antonio Conte. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is also among his endorsers, while the Apulian would like to return to Italy and the idea of coaching the Rossoneri appeals.
Yet Conte’s profile does not seem to please everyone, not only due to the high salary but also due to his demands when it comes to the transfer market. Now, however, it remains too early to make concrete precitions.
We must reiterate that the information we have is that Conte is not a candidate that the Milan management are considering due to various factors, including the ones mentioned above.
