Tare’s Final Days at AC Milan
The fate of Igli Tare at AC Milan now appears to be sealed. With just a few matchdays left in the season, the Albanian sporting director is expected to leave the Rossoneri at the end of the campaign, regardless of their final league position and whether or not they secure Champions League qualification.
An exit that comes after just one season — his first and likely last in charge of Milan’s technical area. A brief, troubled tenure that nonetheless does not tell the full story: because Tare’s problems at Milan were not simply about getting some transfer decisions wrong, but above all about never having been given the genuine freedom to operate.
The Merits and the Limits of a Difficult Season
Any fair assessment of Tare’s work must be balanced. On the negative side, two signings stand out as underperforming relative to expectations: Christopher Nkunku, who arrived for a fee close to €40 million, and another addition who failed to convince. Investments that weighed on the balance sheet without delivering the required on-pitch contribution.
But it would be unfair to overlook the successes too. Above all, the standout deal of the summer: the signing of Luka Modrić on a free transfer. A remarkable piece of transfer business, the result of meticulous work that saw Tare fly to Croatia in person to convince the veteran Croatian midfielder to commit to the Milan project. A move of the highest quality, one that raised both the technical level and the international experience of the squad.
As the more attentive supporters will recall, even the great sporting directors of Milan’s history — from Ariedo Braida to Paolo Maldini — had their share of less successful operations alongside their major triumphs. Transfer mistakes are part of the game; no one is immune. The real issue, if anything, lies elsewhere.
The Real Problem: A Sporting Director Without Real Power
The central issue, as underlined by Luciano Moggi himself, is that Tare appears to have been hired more as a response to external pressure — following the backlash over Maldini’s departure — than as the true architect of a new sporting project. A “token gesture”, to use the words of those who know the club’s internal dynamics well.
The most significant transfer operations would have continued to pass through the hands of Giorgio Furlani, leaving the sporting director with more of a figurehead role than a substantive one. A director of football who cannot choose his own players is a director with his hands tied — and the results on the pitch inevitably reflect that structural incoherence.
For more on the internal dynamics surrounding Furlani’s role, read: AC Milan, tension at headquarters and Furlani’s future: the Maldini case back at the center of debate.
Tony D’Amico: The Hot Name to Replace Tare
Who could step into Tare’s shoes? The most credible candidate is Tony D’Amico, current sporting director of Atalanta, who is on the verge of being released from his contract with the Bergamo club. D’Amico is widely regarded as one of the brightest executives in Italian football: he played a key role in building the Atalanta side that won the UEFA Europa League and has established itself year after year as one of Europe’s most consistent clubs.
His profile is said to be Furlani’s first choice, should the current CEO remain in post. And that is precisely the major caveat: D’Amico’s potential arrival at Milan is closely tied to Furlani’s own future. If the CEO is not reconfirmed, entirely different scenarios would open up, with other names and other profiles coming into play.
AC Milan therefore finds itself at a crossroads: choosing carefully who will build the squad of the future, and crucially giving that person the operational freedom that has been so clearly lacking until now. That is the essential condition for the club to stop playing catch-up and return to planning with genuine vision.
AC Milan has every potential to be great again. The right structure is all it takes.
