Journalist Antonio Vitiello believes that AC Milan will benefit from having established professionals in the right roles in 2025-26 and beyond.
One thing is certain: a big improvement is needed on last season for Milan, a campaign that saw the team finish eighth in the league table, lose the Coppa Italia final to Bologna and get dumped out of the Champions League by Feyenoord and go through two head coaches.
Read SempreMilan ad-free and get access to exclusive news. Click here for a free trial!
The first big step came last week as Igli Tare’s appointment as the new director of Milan was made official on Monday afternoon, bringing an end to a saga that had been ongoing for several weeks.
Then, he quickly moved to secure Massimiliano Allegri as the head coach, who returns for his second spell with the club 11 years after leaving, to replace the outgoing Sergio Conceicao.
Vitiello’s latest column
In his latest for MilanNews, Anto Vitiello spoke about the decisions made over the past week that have set Milan up for not only the coming season but potentially an ambitious multi-year project.
“Everything could have been done last year. What a shame to have thrown away a season with senseless and harmful choices for the Milan project,” he began.
“Everything that was done last week, namely the arrival of a director with 15 years of experience in Serie A, and a winning coach, could have been done in the summer of 2024, when Allegri and Tare were free from constraints.
“Everything would have been easier, more natural. Instead of trying unlikely American models or strange corporate organisations. Unfortunately, that’s how it went, but now Milan must start again from this year zero, without Europe, and immediately return to being competitive for the top of Serie A.
“To do this, the Diavolo has chosen a specialist like Max Allegri. You may not like his game, but in his career he has won 6 league titles and 5 Coppa Italia, 3 Supercoppa Italiani, around Italy he was the best that could be taken after Antonio Conte (another huge regret).
“To do this, Milan has finally raised the economic offer, no longer the usual 2.5 million or maximum 3 million, but to convince Max they have presented a proposal of 5.5 million net for two years, with an option on the third and fourth year.
“Finally Milan start again with football men like Tare and Allegri, on paper the right people and with the right experience. The sporting result, the victory on the field return to the centre of the village. Something not to be taken for granted considering the nature of the RedBird fund.
“The presence of Allegri and Tare will also be useful to retain some hesitant players. Now the acid test will come from the market. Reijnders can be a sacrifice to create economic availability for the rest of the market, unfortunately the absence from the cups is painful also from a financial point of view.
“A transfer that brings many doubts, depriving yourself of an element of the quality of Reijnders can be dangerous and counterproductive.”
