Giorgio Furlani, Milan’s CEO, spoke during a press conference held at the club’s headquarters. Here are his words.
Furlani opens the media briefing:
“The last time I spoke officially, I said it was time to turn the page and look not to the past but to the future, to the upcoming season. Announcements were made the week after the end of the league campaign—those were essentially our first two signings of the season. The first was Igli Tare, a director with experience, who will work in the areas of the transfer market and sporting management. The second signing was Max Allegri, an experienced coach, Italian, who knows Serie A and is the most decorated active coach in Italian football. They won’t be the only additions we’ll make: that said, there won’t be a total revolution, but we will add pieces to the squad to be ready for the new season. Our goal on the sporting level remains the same: we must be competitive to win trophies," as relayed via Milannews.it.
Is the club implementing a different sporting structure compared to recent years?
“With this season, we’ve changed the structure of our sporting area. We realized it’s important to have a figure like Igli. Over the course of getting to know each other, we saw a dynamic in which we could achieve results together. Regarding the coach, we decided to go for someone with experience and a history of winning, realizing that Italian football is particular and different: having experience in Italian football was essential.”
Are you also considering players with high salaries? Furlani replied:
“Football is central to Milan’s project—and that’s obvious, because we are a football club with 125 years of glorious history. Sometimes there’s confusion, making it seem like Milan is something else, talking only about financial matters. The centrality of football is clear. Within that, I want to say that all economic resources are invested with the goal of achieving sporting performance: within that, there are limits and parameters. If you overspend on the right, then you won’t have enough on the left. The goal is to reach the top in sporting performance, but we must decide how to allocate the resources we receive from both the sporting and commercial sides.”
What kind of transfer window will it be?
“If there is interest in our players, it’s because they’re recognized as strong. Last year, the right context was lacking and they didn’t perform at their best. But they’re strong players: on one hand, there’s no need for a revolution; on the other, there’s a lot of interest—which doesn’t mean they’re for sale.”
Where does Zlatan Ibrahimovic fit into this reshaping?
“To clarify, Zlatan has never been technically part of the company staff, and there has been confusion about his role. He has been—and remains—a very important figure in the context of the Milan project. Zlatan’s role is at the ownership level: if you go to RedBird’s website, you’ll see it. His input spans the sporting, commercial, institutional, and representational areas. He’s someone who helped us win as a player, who brought us back to winning the Scudetto in 2022—but remember, he’s also someone who played in the Netherlands, Spain, England, at PSG, in the U.S… He has a wealth of expertise and a broad understanding of the football world.”
What was the selection process for Igli Tare, and why did it take so long?
“Well, the process was long—as it should be in a normal company when selecting someone for a key and central role in the future of the club. For my standards, that’s normal. What matters now is that I’m convinced we made the right choice, and we’re all working in the same direction: that’s what counts—that we work together with a shared goal.”
Is a renewal still a possibility for Mike Maignan?
“There was interest from an English club, but it wasn’t considered appealing. Mike is an important player for Milan and has behaved very professionally, as has his agent: there was openness to the interest, but at the same time no pressure from their side. The results will determine the medium- and long-term future.”
Will Christian Pulisic renew?
“Christian still has three years left on his contract with Milan: it’s not a pressing matter. From the club’s and ownership’s point of view, he is a very important player.”
What kind of organizational structure is planned for difficult moments? Will the sporting director and coach be enough?
“It seems like there’s a distinction between the sporting director, the coach, and the club—this is a mistake, and I want to clarify it. There isn’t a ‘sporting soul’ and then everything else—we are one entity. In tough times, we as a club will be there to support the director and the coach.”
How did you arrive at the choice of Allegri, going against last season’s direction? What impressed you about the coach? Furlani said:
“I was impressed by his knowledge of Milan, of the Italian league, and the fact that he objectively has the most titles in Serie A. He has enthusiasm, knowledge of Milan and the club, and a strong desire to do well this year. Before we started, Tare said Allegri was the man to restart and bring Milan back to where it belongs.”
What is Geoffrey Moncada’s role?
“Geoffrey has been with Milan for seven years; he’s an extremely valuable asset. He has grown and remains the technical director. The way he knows players in France and many other places, the way he can identify talent around the world—there are very few like him. He remains at Milan and remains central to our project.”
