La Repubblica report that Milan’s future hangs in the balance, with the next 90 minutes potentially deciding the club’s direction – and much like last year, those crucial minutes will play out in the derby against Inter. According to the newspaper, Paulo Fonseca has one last chance, not so much due to a time-limited trust from the club’s top management, but likely because the executives themselves are internally divided on who could take his place in case of departure. This is no trivial matter, given that even the choice of the Portuguese coach was a decision that divided the club.
Initially, it was Lopetegui, but under pressure from the fans, the focus shifted to Fonseca. No one showed up at the airport, and in the press conference, Ibra “joked” about how his name came up. According to reports, the former Lille coach failed from the start to create empathy with Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who positioned himself dominantly in introductory meetings. In the end, a compromise was reached between costs and ambitions, but it has even deeper roots that are now resurfacing in the choice of a potential replacement.
According to reports, an authentic power struggle is underway at Casa Milan between Ibrahimovic, who in words is “The boss, the one who commands,” representing the expression of RedBird Capital, and the duo Moncada-Furlani who, although they have effectively moved to Gerry Cardinale’s organisation chart, were brought to Milan by the Elliott fund that remains in the background due to the famous vendor loan.
Ibrahimovic would prefer a coach already prepared for Serie A, but with a strong hand, and has identified Igor Tudor as his preferred candidate. On the other hand, there’s a push for Sarri, close to Moncada with his entourage, or for a “foreign” name like Terzic. It’s from these discussions that Fonseca has obtained his last chance. Had there been agreement on a single name, the departure would likely have already occurred.