Julen Lopetegui, Julen Lopetegui, Julen Lopetegui. The name bounced around the streets of Milan all Saturday, because the Basque coach is the big favorite to take over the Rossoneri bench from July, when Pioli will have finished his fifth season with the club and the European Championship will be a memory.
future
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Milan has been working on the succession for some time and Lopetegui is the designated candidate: Milan is still reflecting but contacts are frequent and a draft agreement exists, on the plans even more than on the economic aspect. Milan still wants to take their time but it is clear that the next two weeks will be very important, probably decisive. Milan will part ways with Pioli in the best possible way, as is fair to a coach who won a scudetto, guided the growth from the dark years to the Champions League semi-final and has always behaved in the best possible way. The announcement will almost certainly be made at the end of the championship but Milan must already plan the future – therefore the transfer market – with the coach of the future.
perspective 2027
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Lopetegui is ready to sign a three-year contract not far from 4 million net per season, essentially the amount guaranteed to Pioli after the post-scudetto renewal. It is easy to predict that there will be meetings shortly, to understand if there is the possibility of quickly reaching a total agreement. The AC Milan fans, meanwhile, reacted badly to the news: between statements from organized groups and individual protests, many protested, especially invoking Antonio Conte, the favorite of many fans. The reaction was expected but the preference for Lopetegui arose from afar, passed the consultation phase and became established. The last step is missing, unless there are second thoughts. In that case, we could turn to a solution like Roberto De Zerbi or reconsider Paulo Fonseca, the first alternative to Lopetegui in recent days.
nuisance
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Giorgio Furlani, Milan’s CEO, spoke on TV last night to express the club’s annoyance and to reassure the fans: “The season certainly didn’t go as we hoped, because we are Milan and we want to win. Many rumors say a bit of annoyance: too many rumors about the change of coach, dozens of names have been mentioned. We want respect for Pioli, who continues to be our coach. We are focused on work and we are planning the future with the transfer market.” And on the fans: “I always say that they are the best in the world. If they are dissatisfied it’s because they are ambitious, we have to do better.”
ok general
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Giorgio Furlani, together with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Geoffrey Moncada, is the man who will have to make a decision on the transfer market and the manager. “Zlatan is an intelligent, curious person – said Furlani -. The relevant opinions today are those of Moncada, Ibrahimovic and mine, then the final decisions belong to the owners”. All three liked Lopetegui, for what he showed in the best moments of his career and for the impression he made in person: he also met Gerry Cardinale, who came out of the interview with a positive opinion. And then, forward. Milan have yet to make the final decision but with Lopetegui they have outlined a future. More interesting than the amount on the contract is the duration. The fact that we are talking about a three-year period makes it clear that the desire is to develop a project. Lopetegui thinks that Milan can be competitive immediately – otherwise he would not have accepted, and he would not have put Italy before West Ham’s proposal – but it is clear that sustainability and talented young people will remain at the basis of the project.
what a Milan it would be
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What would Lopetegui’s Milan be like? Too early to tell. Duels would remain key, as in Pioli’s football, but two major transfer objectives would become central. Lopetegui has coached real and presumed number 9s. With Spain, for example: a lot of Diego Costa, then Silva, Morata, Rodrigo, Aduriz. In Seville he won the Europa League with Luuk de Jong and En-Nesyri. There is variety. Joshua Zirkzee would be great on the list but it’s easy to imagine Lopetegui being open to other solutions. In the middle of the pitch, however, a defensive midfielder could be fundamental. Milan will start again with Reijnders, Bennacer, Adli, Loftus-Cheek, Musah, all midfielders who do the best things with the ball. Adding Busquets, the best player Lopetegui had in his career, is not imaginable but Youssouf Fofana, who Milan likes, would certainly lend a hand. And then Lopetegui thinks, hypothesizes and waits at home. Now it’s Milan’s turn.
