AC Milan adrift: fifteen days without a leader
It has now been fifteen days since AC Milan has had any form of operational leadership. Gerry Cardinale‘s decision to wipe the slate clean across the entire management structure has left the club in a state of paralysis that, with every passing day, risks handing a significant competitive advantage to their rivals. No sporting director, no technical director, no head coach: a leadership vacuum that is blocking every decision, both technical and commercial.
As has already emerged in recent weeks, the club has repeatedly shifted its position on the timeline for appointing a new structure, moving from promises of swift action to declarations of “no rush”. The results speak for themselves.
Rangnick: a wait that cannot go on indefinitely
The most pressing issue remains the Ralph Rangnick question. The German coach has been the primary candidate for the Rossoneri bench for weeks, yet the situation has remained in an inexplicable state of suspension. The Austrian Football Federation has already confirmed its willingness to retain Rangnick for a further two years, through to the next European Championship, providing the coach with the security he had been seeking on the international front. That reassurance, while positive for Rangnick personally, could yet become an obstacle for Milan if the club fails to act decisively.
As reported in recent days, Rangnick’s response to Milan is expected shortly, but time is running out. Every day that passes without a definitive decision increases the risk that the coach opts to remain with Austria, effectively closing this avenue for the Rossoneri. The question on everyone’s lips is straightforward: why can’t Cardinale provide a clear answer, one way or the other?
Transfer market frozen: players are waiting, deals are cooling
The leadership vacuum is having direct and damaging consequences on AC Milan’s transfer activity. A number of players — including Loftus-Cheek, Youssouf Fofana, Santiago Gimenez and others — are waiting for answers about their futures but have no one to turn to within the club. There is no sporting director, no coach to express technical preferences, no senior figure to unblock the situations currently in limbo.
The same applies to incoming targets. Transfer negotiations initiated under the previous management — including those for Mario Gila of Lazio and Leon Goretzka departing Bayern Munich — risk going cold entirely, with the respective clubs and agents likely to explore alternative, better-organised destinations. Both Goretzka and Gila are already considered at risk, and every additional week of delay makes the situation harder to recover.
Ibrahimovic’s absence and doubts over Cardinale
Adding to the complexity, Zlatan Ibrahimovic — AC Milan’s Senior Advisor — is effectively absent from the club’s day-to-day operations, occupied with commitments outside football and set to travel to the World Cup. Yet another gap in an already fragmented picture.
The broader question looming over all of this is how well-equipped Gerry Cardinale is to make decisions of this technical complexity. Choosing a head coach, appointing a sporting director, building a competent management team — these are decisions that require deep, specific knowledge of professional football. The American entrepreneur, however talented in the world of finance and private equity, is operating in territory that falls outside his area of expertise, and the uncertainty this creates is plain to see.
AC Milan possesses all the resources — financial, historical and in terms of global appeal — to return to the summit of European football. What is needed now is for someone to take firm and rapid control of the situation. The Rossoneri faithful are waiting, and the transfer market will not wait much longer.
