Why one man stands out in Milan’s head coach pursuit [Bonus Article]
From points average to net spend and league finishes, Maurizio Sarri represents a near-perfect candidate for Milan's bench.
May has commenced and the Coppa Italia final is now just a couple of weeks away. You’d think that the best approach would be to focus solely on that game, but I can’t help but think about next season and what Milan should do in the summer. Above all, the head coach appointment is top of mind and based on the candidates mentioned, I think there is a near-perfect one.
First of all, it must be said that there have been many rumours and reports in the last few months, resulting in several head coaches being linked with the job. However, the good thing about this is that the identikit (i.e. what Milan want) has become rather clear: an Italian coach who’s experienced and has won trophies before. Sounds reasonable enough, and it has also helped us narrow down the list.
Quickfire thoughts on the candidates
Judging by the latest reports, the following managers are on the Rossoneri’s shortlist: Max Allegri, Antonio Conte, Roberto De Zerbi, Gian Piero Gasperini, Vincenzo Italiano and Maurizio Sarri. Based on the aforementioned identikit and my gut feeling, we can probably scratch De Zerbi and Italiano from the list, even if a lot of fans would like to see the latter in charge of Milan.
For me, both of these managers remain in the ‘promising’ category, especially since we’ve seen quite a lot of ups and downs aside from the success. De Zerbi has perhaps felt a little bit more pressure thanks to the Premier League experience, but even then, it was Brighton. And Italiano’s biggest club to date is Fiorentina. Appointing either of them, as such, would be too much of a gamble in my opinion.
Moving on to the veterans, I’ve thought a lot about an Allegri return in the last few weeks and my conclusion has always been the same: he’s not what Milan need right now. Sure, he’s tremendous at building a foundation and achieving results without splashy tools, but I don’t think the Rossoneri should settle for a stabiliser-esque manager despite what has been a horrendous 2024-25 season.
If everything else had been in place already, such as a sporting director and a healthy organisational chart, I might have gone along with it. However, with so much to fix on multiple fronts, I see no point in ‘going halfway’ by adjusting the management and then hiring Allegri who, let’s be honest, wouldn’t be a long-term solution. Now more than ever, we need a project that can make the fans believe again.
Conte, on the other hand, would probably be the perfect balance of ‘Allegrismo’ and ambition, seeing as he’s much more capable of playing attractive football over a long period of time. That is, of course, presuming he doesn’t get into a fight with the management, which sadly seems to be the case for him everywhere he goes. But that’s not even the biggest hurdle here.
His contract with Napoli, which will expire in 2027, cannot be disregarded. I think it would be foolish for Milan to assume that the Partenopei president, Aurelio De Laurentii, would let him leave for a league rival. Until we have better indications of his future with the club, therefore, the management should keep his name out of the mix.
A similar narrative can be applied to Gasperini, who has remained coy about his future with Atalanta. I personally think that he will say goodbye at the end of the season, but this still doesn’t make him the perfect target for Milan. While achieving wonders with the Bergamo side, we must remember that he also hasn’t experienced the pressure of a big club (if you don’t count his short stint at Inter in 2011).
Furthermore, it’s impossible to know if his methods will work at a club like the Rossoneri, having thrived in a very specific structure at Atalanta. You’d almost want the entire infrastructure to move with him and that isn’t feasible, of course, so he’s another candidate that I would leave put to the side for now. Maybe with Tony D’Amico as the director, my stance would change.
And then there was one…
Having said all of the above, that leaves just one name: Sarri. I was actually asked about Milan’s ideal manager for next season by a Swedish news website, and in all of the scenarios pondered, I kept coming back to the former Napoli man. Igli Tare as the sporting director, D’Amico as the sporting director, no changes to the management and so on. Sarri fits the profile in every case.
