Now the ball is in Igli Tare’s court. The Albanian executive enjoys tough challenges, there’s no doubt about it—otherwise, he wouldn’t have accepted (pending the official announcement expected by Monday) the position of AC Milan’s new sporting director.
He’ll find himself having to manage a team that is out of Europe, back in the red after two years, and in a generally demoralized sporting environment. La Gazzetta dello Sport this morning lays out the three priorities the new Rossoneri executive will have to tackle.
Italiano A, Allegri B, De Zerbi C for Milan...
The paper lists the new coach as the second item, but it’s clear that choosing the manager is the most crucial decision Tare will face at the start of his tenure. Last season, Milan’s downfall began precisely with the choice of coach: nothing against Fonseca, to be clear, but in terms of stature, he was not the high-profile manager one would have expected following Pioli’s cycle, after which a step up in quality was needed. Today, Tare’s first choice is Vincenzo Italiano, but it may already be too late: the Bologna manager is in talks with the Rossoblù over a contract renewal, although the first meeting did not result in a signature. Milan will try to intervene, leveraging the stature of the club. If that move fails, the new director—together with the other members of the management team—intends to explore the option of Massimiliano Allegri, who is also appreciated by Napoli in case of Conte’s departure. There is also a third possibility, which could be described as plan C: Roberto De Zerbi.
Leao and the other stars
The first and third points in the plan tailored for Tare concern the management of top players. Number 10 Rafael Leao has a chapter all to himself, being the highest-paid player in the squad. The Albanian’s idea should be to give Rafa more responsibility, as he needs to be pushed toward a redemption season. On his side, there’s a contract running until 2028; the downside could be a financially irresistible offer, possibly from Barcelona, who have long been interested. But Leao may be the least of the concerns—the real challenge lies with the French players. Both Mike Maignan and Theo Hernandez have contracts expiring in 2026: renewal talks have been ongoing all season, but no signature has ever materialized. For the goalkeeper—as well as for Pulisic, who has an option to extend until 2028—the club will try to reach an agreement; for Theo, however, it’s a different story. The current renewal offer stands at 4 million euros, which is even lower than his current salary: an exit no longer seems so far-fetched.
