AC Milan is a work in progress. More than that, actually. It is a club trying to rebuild itself from the ground up after a managerial earthquake that has left significant voids at the top. And now time is running out.
Gerry Cardinale knows this well. That is why the owner of RedBird, flanked by his trusted man Zlatan Ibrahimovic, is pushing hard on all fronts to deliver a new organisational structure to the Rossoneri faithful before the World Cup, when Ibrahimovic himself will be busy in the United States as a pundit for Fox Sports.
The first piece of the puzzle carries a weighty name: Ralf Rangnick.
The guru who could change Milan
The meeting that took place in Vienna in recent days has strengthened the candidacy of the current Austria national team manager. Cardinale and Ibrahimovic are now waiting for a definitive answer that could come as early as this week.
It will not be an easy decision.
Rangnick continues to maintain strict secrecy and, from the Austrian national team’s training camp, has avoided committing publicly. An attitude that conceals a precise reality: alongside Milan’s proposal, there is the concrete possibility of continuing his adventure on the Austrian bench even after the next World Cup.
The Austrian Football Federation, for its part, would like to quickly settle their manager’s future and has no intention of heading into the World Cup with a coach whose future is uncertain.
But at Casa Milan, optimism prevails.
The impression is that the Rossoneri club is ready to hand Rangnick broad decision-making powers, entrusting him with the leadership of the entire sporting area.
Glasner and Jaissle, the names for the dugout
If the long-awaited yes comes, the Austrian manager-coach will be immediately tasked with choosing the new head coach.
The two hottest candidates are clear.
The first leads to Oliver Glasner, fresh from his Conference League triumph with Crystal Palace and regarded as one of the brightest coaches on the European scene.
The other points to matthias Jaissle, a German coach just 38 years old, long admired by Rangnick and perfectly aligned with the aggressive and modern playing philosophy that the Austrian executive has exported across Europe.
Two different profiles, yet united by the same footballing DNA.
Calvelli takes on a central role
In the meantime, Milan must continue to manage day-to-day operations.
The departure of Giorgio Furlani has inevitably created a power vacuum that the club is trying to fill as quickly as possible.
To ensure operational continuity, the board of directors has decided to expand the responsibilities of Massimo Calvelli, a figure of outstanding managerial calibre. The former CEO of the ATP, now CEO International of RedBird Development Group and Operating Partner of RedBird Capital Partners, thus becomes one of the key figures in the new Rossoneri structure.
In tandem with president Paolo Scaroni, Calvelli will be tasked with ensuring the club’s full operational capacity during a particularly delicate phase.
On the federation front too, calm prevails. Despite rumours regarding the deadlines for submitting documentation required for registration in the next Serie A season, Casa Milan insists the situation is under control.
The decisive week
The coming hours could therefore prove crucial for the future of the Diavolo.
First, Rangnick’s yes or no. Then the choice of the new head coach. Finally, the completion of the management organisational chart.
Cardinale and Ibrahimovic are designing a completely new Milan. A project aimed at breaking with the recent past and returning the club to the summit of European football.
Now all that is needed is the right man to take the wheel.
And that name, more and more often, seems to be Ralf Rangnick.
