Milan’s head coach search: Iraola remains the number one candidate
While the management chaos continues to dominate headlines at Casa Milan, the technical question remains one of the most urgent to resolve: who will be sitting in the Rossoneri dugout next season? The past few hours have brought no certainties, but have added new pieces to the puzzle.
Andoni Iraola, the Basque head coach with a steadily growing reputation, remains the most favoured profile within the Rossoneri leadership. Further contacts and meetings have taken place in recent weeks, and the Spaniard is said to have shown genuine interest in the Milan project. A young, methodical coach capable of developing players — exactly the kind of manager the club appears to be looking for as it enters this new chapter.
There are complications, however: Crystal Palace are also strongly interested in Iraola, and the race to secure his signature could become very competitive in the coming weeks. Ironically, Crystal Palace’s pursuit of Iraola could also free up another interesting name: Oliver Glasner, the current Eagles manager, has been linked with the Milan bench as a potential alternative should Iraola opt for London.
The surprise name: Ralph Rangnick — but doubts abound
In the past few hours, a name has emerged that surprised many observers: Ralph Rangnick. The German coach has a historical link with Milan — he was once very close to taking charge of the Rossoneri, and it was precisely the disagreement over his appointment that cost Zvonimir Boban his job, having opposed the idea of bringing in the former RB Leipzig manager.
But there are many, many doubts about the real feasibility of this option. Rangnick is currently 67 years old and serves as head coach of the Austrian national team, who will participate in the 2026 World Cup. The tournament takes place in the summer, which means — at best — Milan would have to wait until the competition is over before they could begin working with him on planning for the new season.
Why Rangnick seems hard to reconcile with Milan’s plans
The contradiction is plain to see: Milan have repeatedly stated their desire to appoint a young, dynamic coach capable of embracing a long-term development project. Choosing a 67-year-old manager — busy with a national team at the World Cup for the entire summer — appears to be at complete odds with that stated ambition.
The timing would be incredibly tight: pre-season typically begins in July, and a coach finishing the World Cup in mid-to-late July would have very little time to get to know the squad, implement his ideas and prepare the team for the early fixtures of the new season. A risk that, at such a delicate moment for the club, would be very hard to justify.
As outlined in the dedicated analysis of Iraola’s candidacy, the Spaniard remains the most coherent profile with the vision the club is trying to build. Rangnick, however impressive a coach in his own right, currently presents too many variables that are incompatible with Milan’s timeline.
A decision on the dugout is imminent
The situation remains fluid, but time is pressing. Milan need a head coach as soon as possible to begin planning both the transfer window and the season as a whole. Every day that passes without a technical figurehead in place is one less day to build the new project.
The hope — and the determination — is that an announcement will come in the next few weeks. Milan is a club with passionate fans and a legendary history: the Rossoneri dugout remains one of the most fascinating roles in world football, and the new head coach will have the opportunity to write an important chapter in that story.
