AC Milan are still looking for a new sporting director for next season, and the wait is set to continue with Giorgio Furlani otherwise engaged.
As Corriere dello Sport (via MilanNews) write this morning, Milan had got right down to the final stages of negotiations with Fabio Paratici, only to then see everything blocked for contractual reasons related to the pending criminal trial.
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The former Juventus and Tottenham director will not arrive, therefore, and the casting process continues to find the right man. There are two names in pole position, but things are currently at a standstill.
The great wait
Why are things on pause? The main reason is Furlani’s trip to Miami, in the United States. The CEO of the club will travel to Florida from today to continue meetings with some very important partners, in particular MSC Crociere who have been the sleeve sponsor since last season.
In the last week of March, Furlani had been in Dubai and had met other important sponsors: Emirates, PUMA and Konami above all. During the AC Milan manager’s trip to the United States, there could also be the possibility of a new meeting with Gerry Cardinale.
Furlani could sit down with the manager of RedBird Capital and owner of AC Milan to give an update on things, including the planning for 2025-26. For this reason, the search for the director – conducted primarily by Furlani – will slow down.
Two-man race
Having decided not to go ahead with Paratici, the race for the role of Milan’s sporting director is now between two figures. On one side there is Igli Tare, with a single but very long experience of 15 years with Lazio, on the other there is the Italian Tony D’Amico, currently at Atalanta.
The Albanian is in pole position, if only for the fact that he is currently free and could sign immediately. For D’Amico, however, it would be necessary to wait until the end of the season so that he can free himself from the Bergamo club.
It is unthinkable that this could happen before the season ends, which factors into Milan’s planning. In this sense, the Diavolo cannot wait too long, also because the preparations for next season – after this disastrous one – must already be started.
Not sure why it took us over a month to realize Paratici isn’t the right man… To be honest I don’t really care who we get out of these two – maybe D’Amico has a slight edge but I think both would do well.
I think Tare is fine as well for the reason he built teams on his own with very little. He has a track record for discovering and acquiring players at feasible prices. Building squads. Hiring managers that fit their philosophy. He didn’t do as well in later years, but football also has cycles and Lazio could be forgiven for having a downturn after repeated success given the monetary resources at hand. Tare was a main proponent in their success.
Atalanta had a solid basis prior to D’Amico in their squad and a renown youth academy as well as scouting network. Gasperini is also a fundamental factor that contributed to their success. I see it as a Patrici/Moratta/Juve’s superior resources vs competition, being a collective of elements that worked together and when that was removed from the equation, Patrici faltered. I am not so sure D’Amico is a main proponent to their solid management so much as him arriving into a good situation that was pre-eastablished. Sure Verona did well with him, that being said, he hasn’t proven he could get anywhere near Milan’s level. A bottom dwelling team that sells all their players while fighting for survival doesn’t require the same top to bottom management and level of readiness in the players they acquire to achieve that goal.
There are many players suited to fight for survival and mid table Serie A clubs. Top, Elite level, or those with that potential at least, almost prepared to contribute, not quite so much. Tare gives me more reassurance.
As long as unshaven dwarf furlani remains involved in milan management from him we can only expect decisions that take months and months to reach; a total ignorance of calcio politics; and an only interest in $$$$$$ for his dear bosses.
Very sad and black prospects for all milan tifosi with this dumb scarecrow hanging around milanello. Wish he is kicked away soonest possible.
By all means… we’re into April already without a clue. But hey, take your time. Not like we have ambitions to be better or anything.
They should have all their targets lined up, on going discussions with agents, renewals completed so the budget is set in stone going into the next window. Yet our director isn’t even in office. The person responsible for that is looking into sponsorship deals. Something a person in the sporting chair should be spending no time doing, at all. There needs to be people specifically assigned to handling nothing but business and commercial ventures around the clock.
This is ridiculous. A complete farce. His only priority has to be getting someone signed in less than a week. We don’t have time to fall behind with the tasks at hand. Then they’ll habe excuses as to why they didn’t secure any targets come start of next season’s training camp, as usual.