Zorro can throw away the mask at the end of the party. Paulo Fonseca, who one day showed up at a press conference wearing the most famous black mask in the world, can become the answer to the great enigma: who will be Milan’s coach 2024-25? Fonseca is currently the favorite to occupy the right bench at San Siro from July, when Pioli will leave the Rossoneri after five years. The answer, inevitably, will only come next week, because Fonseca has a busy weekend: the Champions League will be played on Sunday evening with his Lille, now in third place, the last opportunity to play the big cup. They need a win against Nice or, more simply, the same result as Brest, who have the same points as them. At that point, he and Milan will take a step, in one direction or the other.
this is how you decide
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The choice of Pioli’s heir is a TV series that has been running for weeks. Lopetegui was looked at for months and chosen: he met Cardinale, he got the OK from the club, he was already planning next season. The reversal, born after criticism from the fans, caused the casting to restart. A complex casting, also because the decisions at Milan are collegial. Two people don’t decide, as in the Maldini era, but a collective ok from Giorgio Furlani, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Geoffrey Moncada is needed, with final approval from the owners. It is not easy to combine different needs and ideas, even if the underlying ideas of the club are those that have been known for some time. We are looking for a coach capable of working as a team, with a corporate spirit, capable of improving young people and accepting a project in which sustainability is the central concept.
the two Portuguese
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The club has thus evaluated and is evaluating many possibilities. Fonseca would be a choice with points of contact with Pioli. A coach with an offensive spirit capable of always working in harmony with the club. Of course, in his career he has only won the championship in Ukraine, three times with Shakhtar. Sergio Conceiçao, the other Portuguese candidate, has a very different profile: he has won the Portuguese title three times and has a complex character, which sometimes leads him to public arguments.
the options
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So? So Fonseca is the favorite today but in this story there are two decisions pending. Milan’s is the best known: it has been discussed since March. Fonseca’s should not be overlooked. Lille, Champions or no Champions, asked him to stay: very difficult. Marseille, their French rivals, offered him the bench with ample autonomy: Fonseca liked it but has not yet responded. In fact, he postponed it until next week, to the point that Marseille moved on to other coaches. Including… Conceiçao. And there is a fourth European club that has made him a very interesting proposal. Fonseca will also have a final word.
