The Cult of Calcio
·26 December 2024
The Cult of Calcio
·26 December 2024
Milan didn’t shine but defeated Hellas Verona, doing enough to keep Paulo Fonseca on the bench. The management was reluctant about a midseason coaching change anyway. Things would really have to go sideways for that to happen.
On the other hand, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the Portuguese gaffer is completely safe. According to Relevo’s Mattia Moretto (via MSN), the Rossoneri managed to insert a clause to rescind his three-year contract each summer and to protect themselves in case of a firing. It would come off their books if he got the boot.
Per Tuttomercatoweb, Milan chose Fonseca also because of his relatively affordable salary. They were still paying Stefano Pioli at the time. The former Lille boss accepted €2.5M yearly wages. They turned to him because he was already familiar with Serie A after the fans revolted against the appointment of Julen Lopetegui, who was the brass’ top target.
Pioli severed the ties to take over Al-Nassr, so the Rossoneri will have the budget for a high-profile manager, provided the higher-ups really want to invest in that position. Roberto Mancini, Maurizio Sarri, and Massimiliano Allegri have been linked to the job in recent weeks.
The bottom line matters, especially in a team owned by an American entrepreneur, but it shouldn’t be the main factor in a pivotal choice like the coach. They seem to be willing to give their current skipper time to try to fix things, but they need to go on a run soon. Missing out on the Champions League would be disastrous for all sorts of reasons.