AC Milan redraws its management structure: Gerry Cardinale’s choices
After weeks of waiting, rumours, and a lengthy search for a top-level executive profile, Gerry Cardinale has finally defined AC Milan’s new management structure. A decision that has surprised many insiders and already sparked widespread debate: no external sporting director, no head of football, and an organisation built around figures already present within the club.
For nearly a month, there had been persistent talk of a lean chain of command made up of owner, head of football and head coach — a modern model inspired by some of Europe’s most successful clubs. In the end, however, the direction taken has been quite the opposite.
The new structure: all the names
Here is the setup that will lead AC Milan in the coming season:
- Hendrik Almstad – Director of Player Trading (will lead transfer operations)
- Bobby Gardiner – Director of Football Intelligence
- Donato Lomonte – Head of Scouting
- Massimo Calvelli – CEO (has inherited the roles previously held by Giorgio Furlani)
- Vincenzo Vergine – Head of Youth Sector
- Jovan Kirovski – Head of Milan Futuro
- Rubén Amorím – Head Coach
- Zlatan Ibrahimović – Senior Advisor
- David Castelblanco – Financial Consultant and Board Member
A structure in which head coach Rubén Amorím emerges as the sole figure with a pure footballing background when it comes to the management of the first team. Transfer negotiations will be handled by Almstad and Gardiner, while contract signings will fall to Calvelli.
Who is Hendrik Almstad: the key man behind Milan’s transfer market
Hendrik Almstad has been at AC Milan since 2020, joining during the Elliott era. Over the years he has held various roles within the Rossoneri’s structure. Before arriving in Via Aldo Rossi, he served as director of football at Aston Villa during the 2015–16 season — when the club were relegated from the Premier League, finishing bottom of the table. A past that will inevitably be weighed up when assessing his suitability for this new role.
Almstad is a technically-oriented profile focused on data analysis and transfer operations: valuable skills in an increasingly data-driven game, but ones that ideally need to be complemented by figures with strong hands-on experience.
Vergine, Kirovski and the youth sector: a reliable foundation in the project
On the academy front, Vincenzo Vergine remains a reassuring constant. The head of Milan’s youth sector has demonstrated over the years a strong ability to nurture talent and build meaningful development pathways for young players. Jovan Kirovski, meanwhile, will continue to oversee Milan Futuro, maintaining a clearly defined role within the club’s wider development project.
Amorím: the only footballing mind in the first team setup
Rubén Amorím, appointed as Milan’s head coach, finds himself in a particularly significant position: he will be the primary technical reference point for the first team. His input on the transfer market will be crucial in guiding the choices of Almstad and Gardiner, with whom he will need to build a constant and productive working relationship. The former Sporting CP and Manchester United manager brings a clear footballing philosophy and a well-defined tactical identity — elements that AC Milan has chosen as the foundation of its rebuild.
A month of external searches: what really happened
Over the past few weeks, AC Milan had initiated contact with several external executive profiles. However, those conversations did not yield the desired results. The timing — with the season already well advanced — made it difficult to prise high-profile figures away from other clubs, which were naturally unwilling to lose key directors so close to the start of the season. The outcome was an inward-looking decision, placing trust in those already on board.
As previously reported on these pages, AC Milan found itself in a particularly complex transitional phase, with the transfer window on hold and crucial decisions needing to be made in a very short space of time.
The challenge ahead for AC Milan
The real test will come on the pitch and in the transfer market. AC Milan has the resources, the history, and the passion of millions of supporters worldwide to turn this period of change into a solid new beginning. The structure chosen by Cardinale will need to demonstrate cohesion, competence and the ability to adapt quickly to the demands of modern football.
Amorím will be tasked with giving the team a strong identity; Almstad and Gardiner with assembling a competitive squad through their analytical tools; while figures such as Ibrahimović in the role of senior advisor will bring the weight and charisma of a true Rossoneri legend. The season is just around the corner — it is time to work, believe, and push together in the same direction.
