Maldini raises the temperature [Bonus article]

After the knockout against Inter, Paolo Maldini spoke to the media about the future of AC Milan and what must be done to stay at the top. Words that resonated with almost all of the Rossoneri fans, but the director has put the club in an awkward position as the pressure reading has gone up on the barometer.

From aiming a jab at the ownership and at Stefano Pioli, the technical director covered a lot in his interviews after the game. We dissected his words in a recent feature on the website, which you can read here, as the hints were many and sometimes telling.

To that, however, we must add some information to the whole '“it would have been much easier and much less expensive for us to sign Dybala” argument. Maldini was talking about the project in that case, and not in a negative way as it was actually CEO Giorgio Furlani that put forward the Dybala option. Maldini, as we have learned, said no to this.

In any case, Maldini went out on a limb by raising the temperature not just outside the club - among the fans that is - but also internally. Most of his words were absolutely justified and in no sense ‘harming’ for the club, unlike Zvone Boban back in 2020. Yet we can’t help but see the resemblance.

As we have learned, the ownership didn’t exactly appreciate the strong words of Maldini after the Inter clash. And who can blame them? The director essentially made it clear that investments must be made which, even if correct and justified, should have been anchored with the club first. And the Milan fans obviously love Maldini, so his words weigh heavily.

The temperature has thus increased within the club, which is okay and understandable given the struggles this season. Top four is yet to be secured, and might not even be, while the exit against Inter in the Champions League left a bitter taste - even if it has been a financially successful journey.

Rest assured, there will be spending this summer at least on par with last summer, most probably even more since Milan are heading for a very positive balance sheet for the 2022/23 season (could be a profit). But it all hinges on the Champions League, as securing qualification would encourage the whole club to invest more to go far in the competition again (and thus cash in a lot of revenue).

But back to Maldini, and as we have written about earlier here, he’s a point of reference for the club and there’s little to suggest that his future is in jeopardy - unlike what some newspapers have reported. The Boban reference thus doesn’t hold up when you really dissect the matter. It’s possible that his role will change slightly, though, working closer to Furlani and the manager.

Speaking of Stefano Pioli, Milan and RedBird continue to reiterate their trust. As we wrote back in April, missing out on the top four doesn’t necessarily mean that the manager will get sacked. Sure, as we stated after the Spezia game, the mood of the ownership has somewhat soured but that isn’t grounds for sacking. The risk always remains, but the insistent backing of the club leads us to believe that he could stay after all.