According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, without Paolo Maldini and Frederic Massara, the technical director and sporting director of the team who won the 2022 Scudetto, AC Milan will undergo an unprecedented transformation. This is primarily because Gerry Cardinale, the club's owner who made the decision not to rely on their work anymore, has no intention of replacing them.
The traditional structure, which until yesterday saw Maldini and Massara directly involved in the transfer market, negotiating player transfers and contract renewals for those already on the team, will be replaced by an internal reorganisation that will produce a completely different structure from what we are accustomed to.
The management of the transfer market will now be directly in the hands of Giorgio Furlani, the CEO of the Rossoneri club, who took over from Ivan Gazidis in November 2022. It makes perfect sense. Furlani has grown exponentially in recent months and played a decisive role in the delicate negotiation that resulted in Rafael Leão's contract renewal.
The work done by Paolo Maldini and Frederic Massara with Leão's representatives was certainly productive, but the involvement of Furlani, who resolved the issue of the payment of the fine to Sporting Lisbon, was the turning point without which the extension of the relationship with the Portuguese forward would have likely remained an unsolved puzzle.
In this framework, with Furlani overseeing AC Milan's transfer market, Geoffrey Moncada, the current head of the club's scouting department, will experience an upgrade. The former Monaco scout will be the primary influencer in determining the pursued targets. Moncada now has significant experience at Milan, having contributed to important operations such as those involving Fikayo Tomori and Pierre Kalulu. He has been coordinating a network of ten scouts for years.
Moncada's promotion. Beane will be important for data.
Finally, there is room for 'Mr. Moneyball.' Cardinale believes in using data to identify suitable players to acquire in the market. Billy Beane, the guru of player trading, is one of the pillars that AC Milan will increasingly rely on for market decisions. Beane already collaborates with RedBird for the Rossoneri club, and their bond will intensify.
The same could happen with Luke Bornn, an associate of Zelus Analytics. This company specializes in data analysis and was responsible for Toulouse's ascent. Now they may try to raise the bar even higher with Stefano Pioli's squad.
