It's the 20th of June, and AC Milan have not yet announced a new sporting director. The RedBird-owned club has been stuck in this deadlock for almost a month now, which affects the planning for the transfer window and the new season.
While waiting to decide who will be appointed sporting director and technical director, the club is reportedly considering a temporary solution to ensure immediate activity in the transfer market for new head coach Ruben Amorim. The idea is to rely on figures already within the club, capable of getting the first transfer dealings underway and following up on the Portuguese coach's requests.
Kirovski and Gardiner to manage the transitional phase
The names identified by Milan to address this situation are Jovan Kirovski and Bobby Gardiner. The former is already an executive at Milan Futuro, while the latter works in the club's data department and is considered a candidate for promotion within the hierarchy. Both already know the environment and could take charge of the operational management of transfer business during this transitional period, following Ruben Amorim's instructions. As a result, Amorim could increasingly assume the role of an English-style manager.
There is, however, an issue to resolve: neither of the two holds a sporting director's licence. For this reason, Massimo Calvelli would be the one formally signing players' contracts, as already happened with both the Aurélien Guarnier deal and the buy-back clause operation involving Francesco Camarda.
Ozek remains in contention, but an Italian option emerges
This temporary solution would not end the search for a sporting director. Milan continue to monitor the profile of Devin Ozek, 31, formerly of Bayer Leverkusen and Fenerbahçe. In recent hours, however, another candidate has reportedly emerged: Domenico Teti, formerly of Wolves. Also remaining in the background is the idea of making another attempt for Markus Krösche and Timmo Hardung, although Eintracht do not appear willing to allow either executive to leave, as relayed via those at Milan News.
