Head of Football, sporting director, call it whatever you prefer. At Milanello, they favour the former version, which is more international and less tied to an organisational system (the Italian one) from which they want to distance themselves. Gerry Cardinale is considering the matter and will continue to do so over the coming months, as he weighs the addition of a new figure to the executive management team, which was completely overhauled in the summer in his own image and likeness. Gazzetta dello Sport and Corriere dello Sport have reported on the matter.
The Head of Football role at AC Milan:
The man Milan are looking for is someone who can fit into the model created by the owner and adapt to it, rather than forcing the model to adapt to him. What will this new arrival be expected to do? First and foremost, manage the club’s entire sporting operation, always in coordination with all departments. Cardinale has been clear on this point: never again will power be placed in the hands of a single man appointed by him, as happened with former CEO Giorgio Furlani. From now on, it will genuinely be a collective effort between the management, Football Intelligence and Ruben Amorim. Above them all will be Cardinale, who will have the final say on every decision. According to Gazzetta, the decision should be made sometime between autumn and spring.
Cardinale will not disappear
The obvious question, then, is whether the head of RedBird will step back and become less present than he has been in recent months. The answer is no. Even if a Head of Football is brought in, Cardinale will remain present and play a leading role at his Milan. He will not limit himself to simple phone calls or follow everything from a distance. He will, however, have an additional representative who can manage every aspect of the sporting operation on a daily basis, on the ground. Perhaps he will no longer turn up to sit in the back rows at Ruben Amorim’s press conferences alongside CEO Massimo Calvelli, but he certainly will not be taking a step back. Call them lessons, if you like. This was relayed via Milan Press.
