Crystal Palace Are Conference League Champions: Mateta Decides It
Crystal Palace have been crowned 2025–26 Conference League champions, winning the final 1–0 thanks to a goal from Jean-Philippe Mateta. A remarkable result that, for the Milan world, carries more than one bitter reflection.
Mateta, the French striker born in 1997, was a concrete target for the Rossoneri in recent transfer windows: then-CEO Giorgio Furlani had worked to bring him to Milan, but the deal collapsed due to the player’s knee issues, which caused him to fail his medical. That same striker — rejected over a knee — has now scored the goal that wins a European trophy. Football can be extraordinarily ironic at times.
Iraola Leaves Bournemouth — But the Destination Looks Like Crystal Palace
What makes the evening even more loaded with meaning for Milan is the story surrounding Andoni Iraola. The Basque coach, identified as the ideal profile for the Rossoneri dugout and long pursued by the club’s hierarchy, has officially said goodbye to Bournemouth. Up to that point, it all seemed to be tracking in Milan’s favour.
But the latest developments point in a different direction. According to reports, Iraola is leaning towards staying in the Premier League, accepting Crystal Palace’s proposal — the club just crowned Conference League champions — rather than making the move to Milan. The reasons are both professional and personal: his family, settled in England, has no intention of relocating to Italy, and that personal consideration is said to weigh heavily in his final decision.
As reported previously, no agreement was reached after the London meeting, with doubts over both the project and his family already clearly on the table. The official answer has yet to arrive, but the signals are unmistakable.
The Project Problem: Why Milan Are Struggling to Attract Top Names
Beyond the personal circumstances, the Iraola case raises a structural issue Milan cannot afford to overlook. In 2026, a quality manager has the luxury of choosing. And when that choice falls on a club like Crystal Palace — with all due respect to a side that is undeniably growing — rather than AC Milan, something in the message the Rossoneri are projecting externally is not working as it should.
The issue is not Iraola. The issue is that without a solid project, with an executive structure yet to be defined and a sporting vision still to be built, even the most ambitious profiles struggle to see Milan as their priority destination. This is a signal that must be read with clear eyes — and turned into a powerful motivation to do better, and fast.
Europa League: Milan and Crystal Palace on the Same Path
There is one final element worth noting: by winning the Conference League, Crystal Palace have qualified for next season’s Europa League — the same competition Milan will be competing in during 2026–27. A meeting between the two clubs on the European stage is far from impossible, making the Iraola affair all the more significant in a Rossoneri context.
Milan have the resources, the history, and the fanbase to once again become a dream destination for any coach in Europe. What is needed now is for facts — not just words — to prove that the project is serious, concrete, and ambitious. That is the challenge that awaits the new management structure currently being assembled.
