A New Milan For The Next Decade?
Milan ended the 2010s with a 5-0 defeat at Atalanta. The overachieving opponent has provided a contradiction to Milan, even making to the Champions League knockout stage at the team’s first attempt. Milan started the 2010s with Allegri taking over and winning the scudetto. The rest of the coach’s tenure at Milan mirrored the team’s downfall of course and he left Milan in 2014 with many not missing him. But as we all know the fall has accelerated ever since under one too many coaches and owners as well. Many words have been written about the past and more is perhaps not necessary. The team and its fans need to work and look towards the future.
Is there a plan for that future? That is a very good question. Perhaps the only consistent future outlook has been about a new stadium. Whether the path chosen, sharing a new one with Inter, is correct or not at least the team is trying and will eventually overcome the traditional governmental hurdles.
On the team itself however, so far empty promises and talks of the glorious past still dominate. A new management team has arrived and it includes another contradiction. It features a person best known for cost cutting but on the other hand two team legends making promises. Gazidis may be able to right the team’s finances and rebuild a new Milan but that is almost certainly at odds with Boban and Maldini’s hopes of getting Milan back to the top very soon. Hoping otherwise is not the most logical argument. Simple finances and UEFA’s Financial Fair Play rules make it unlikely. Though it must be said a team like Inter navigated the transfer market maze rather well and got in UEFA’s good books last summer. Juventus managed the same, but with a stadium.
The former team’s activity in the market may point to a path forward but this new Milan has not yet shown it can emulate that. For one thing the primavera team must be rebuilt or at least the team must find young players on the cheap earlier than it does and then it can have an arsenal of players to sell for more later. There is little sign in that happening. The latest example of that is Barcelona’s Jean-Clair Todibo. The 19 year defender is the subject of transfer rumours of around €20 million. The same player was bought by the Spanish team for less than €2 million a year ago. If Milan is to rebuild its finances it need to be in for the player at the €2 million level.
A poll on our forum here on MilanMania asks about Milan’s future. A big majority of fans favour the ‘First and foremost a smarter board/ownership and coach and staff. Then let them build’ option with little support for other choices that include the steady as you go status quo option.
Coaching and its stubbornness is also an issue. Giampaolo has been the sole coach to attempt something other than the miserable 4-3-3. It doesn’t help that all coaches insist on the same under performing starters. The tactics have also been talked about often and on some match days it seems the obvious problems are ignored by coaches. Will that change under a new owner? Elliott have denied any urgency in selling the team but rumours do pop up. The French Arnault family – from the fashion industry with an astronomical net worth – have denied interest several times but their name keeps resurfacing. That is not to say a new rich owner can be exempt from UEFA’s rules but may at least provide a future plan that only looks ahead and makes a real and modern attempt to fix every thing from scouting to the first team.