I think given the right environment Sabatini would stay as this would be one of his biggest and most important stints of his career.

Also, I would like for us to look outside the league, like the Sevilla SD Monchi was reported to wanting out, he's done wonders for them with very limited resources.

I'd like to see us poach someone like him, or at least look at teams in Portugal, who have been great at finding top notch talent and earning huge cash for them. I'm not saying we become some sort of feeder club, but to have someone not only capable of identifying great talents and louring them to the club, but should we want to sell someone for whatever reason we'll have someone capable of getting us a great deal

I was concerned that this deal would stall so this is good for the process of getting the new owners in. As far as sporting directors go, that would be Galliani's job essentially, correct? What role would the various Maldini, Albertini, old Milan names play? Advisory roles?

Hopefully we begin to see some new faces and we start to turn that into results on the field. Still a long road ahead, but as long as we are moving forward, it is all good news.

Actually Galliani is the CEO, GM, SD and basically every other top position in the club And one wonders why we've seen the magnitude of mistakes we've seen these past few years...

And let's not forget the days when he was president of the Lega as well.

Tassotti made a couple of thinly veiled comments as well this week, he said something along the lines of Milan having stopped listening to people from inside the club and started listening to outsiders. I can only guess that this was directed at Galliani who has mostly done deals based on who the players' agents are and what clubs they play for

Same as a dictator, in other words.

So the word now on the newsfeed is that we're hiring an ex-Inter scout and director of football scouting. Bring back Albertini and Galliani continues to remain as a director (probably looking at transfers).

I actually wouldn't mind this setup. I think Galliani is very good at what he does, but at nothing else. The past few years when he's been doing multiple roles is when he has really been poor.

In this situation we'd have a true footballer as DoF, a separate head of scouting for looking at talent, Fassone to look at marketing - leaving Galliani to focus on doing transfers and just that.

Apparently Galliani staying is a Silvio decision though.

I don't believe those rumours.

Silvio has as much say in big decisions within the club as I do. He's an honorary president, that means he can sit on his imaginary throne but he has no influence. He's basically like the queen of England, just a figure head.

As for Galliani staying. I think it would be a mistake. His reputation has gone down the toilet, his decision making has been terrible, he mostly relies on his agent friends and Preziosi to make deals and I personally just don't trust him and the new owners shouldn't either.

Galliani should be let go ASAP and the very LAST thing he should be trusted with is players transfers. Someone competent at negotiating and spotting talent should handle that. Not a senile old fool who still lives in his glory days of the 80s

I agree. I see no benefit in Galliani staying around, particularly if he is going to be in charge of transfers. We need someone with new ideas.

Honestly I don't buy any of that. The Chinese have already brought someone in (Fassano) as the GM, which as far as I know was also part of Galliani's job descriptions (). And he's been tasked with re-establishing the upper management of the club and re-defining the organisation chart. We're seriously looking for a Director of Sport, we're looking at Maldini, Albertini and Costacurta to fill in management roles, all of which I read will be working in synergy with the new DS. So honestly speaking, I don't see any room for Galliani, not as CEO either, a position which I am sure the Chinese will want to fill with their own selection and not Silvio's guy who has been one of the main culprits in the downfall of the club they just spent 700m on

Anyway, here are a couple of clipping off of twitter regarding the re-structuring and the rumours flying about

@MilanEye The club legend who will be chosen will not be just an image for Milan, but will have an operational role in synergy with the SD [Sky].

@MilanEye Immediately, Fassone will focus on bringing of Milan legends back to the club. The three names are: Costacurta, Albertini and Maldini [Sky].

@MilanEye Fassone wants to choose the new sporting director next week. Massimiliano Mirabelli is the favourite [Sky].

@TheMilanBible Fassone also wants to bring back a Milan great, and the candidates remain Albertini, Costacurta and Maldini. [Sky]

@TheMilanBible By next week, Fassone wants to close a deal for the new sporting director of Milan. The strongest candidate is Mirabelli. [Sky Italia]

@TheMilanBible Gazzetta also reports Mirabelli could be joined by Costacurta, in regards to the relationship with the team.

@TheMilanBible Marco Fassone is thinking of hiring the head of Inter scout Massimiliano Mirabelli as the new SD. [Sky]

Enough rum for you, Jack.

Anyway, Maldini has publicly refuted any potential offers that might come in his direction.

Pity.

So Costacurta or Albertini doing the Nedved role? I'd have liked someone from a slightly modern era. Like Ambrosini? He'd be relating to the players better. Billy would so old school to be unrelatable no?

I like this Mirabelli guy (link). I think he's who we need to run our transfer market.

Massimiliano Mirabelli will be Milan's new sporting director. Inter have given their 'OK'.
[Sky Italia].

Some talents Mirabelli had suggested to Inter: Aubameyang-Ghoulam-Zouma (Saint Etienne), Murillo, Perisic, Brozovic, Bentancur, Gabriel Jesus, Tielemans, Brekalo and Grujic. #GdS

Key is he actually spends time scouting, rather than just relying on agents or other buddies.

All the names I hear he wants to bring to Milan are ex-Inter. Which honestly bothers me.

We'll see, I think some of the names are just the media making the obvious connection due to his past at Inter.

At least I've been reading some encouraging things about Mirabelli, and as Forza Milan said above, he's known to spend a lot of time scouting players himself and doesn't just rely on a small circle of agents

So he's a scout? Who's responsible for bringing the players in then? Talking to agents and clubs and bargaining. This bothers me.

Not sold on that guy one bit. All we seem to do is picking up Inter's crumbles.

He's been appointed as Sporting Director, but if I understood correctly, he was a scout of some sort at Inter.

Listen, at this point anyone is better than Galliani and his shady deals.

Also, if this guy is no good than we'll appoint someone else, it's not like with Galliani who came as a packaged deal with Silvio, so we were stuck with him no matter what as long as Silvio was there

Nah. This won't bring us far. I know, anyone is better then Galliani. But there's no time to lose. If we wanna get back to CL football, silverware and real contender stuff, just better then Galliani won't do the trick.

And you don't like Mirabelli ... because? Looks to me like he has a decent track record and will put the focus back on scouting (which its where it needs to be). Frankly, I don't care if his last team was Inter (he is not a real "interista" and in any case we need to get someone good no matter where he comes from).

Also, let's be realistic, we are not going to get back to glory immediately. The squad is in such sad shape that it will take us a few years to rebuild something competitive.

It's bigger then just Mirabelli.

Firstly, the whole Chinese takeover didn't make me especially comfortable from a moral point of view, but what the heck. Milan is such dire situation, I'd let the Devil take over.

But now I start thinking that the Chinese actually don't have a strong plan for the club. Because all I see is Inter and ex-Inter rejects piled up and linked with Milan. It reminds me a bit of Galliani and his wonderful row with Vieri, Muntari, Mancini, Silvestre, etc.

More importantly, this Fassone guy who strikes me as a all-business person (might I say with little success at Inter from 2012) seems to have a hard time convincing true Milanista legends like Costacurta, Albertini or Maldini to get on board. Instead we hear yet another Interista, Massimo Mirabelli is going to join Milan as well.

Now let me ask you: doesn't it concern you that both Billy and Demetrio hinted negatively toward our new heading? What has Mirabelli done to be so proud of or think of him that highly anyone? Scouting? I'm not sure Inter's scouting has been impeccable either.

Having worked for Inter doesn't automatically make you an interista. There are business people and professionals, not fans. If Mirabelli is good at what he does, then fine by me.

I would like though to have some old faces back in the club. Why the bitter responses from Albertini and Costacurta? Were they expecting to get a call and they didn't?

They did get the call. Apparently both felt Milan was moving in the wrong direction and were surprised with this Interista thing.

But I have to disagree. To an extent it bothers me. I expect the new Milan to have a clear vision and plan. What are we doing right now? Picking up ex-Juve and Inter rejects? Why aren't we trying to bring in a breeze of freshness and vision?

You say they are business people and professionals. But unless they are not super successful, which none of them is, I most certainly prefer own ingenuity and people connected to the club and what Milan represents/represented. Almost all top clubs have such a line. Look at Bayern with Rummenigge, Hoeness and Beckenbauer.

I heard otherwise. Fassone didn't call them, and that's what probably bothers them. I guess they felt it was their time to come back, but that didn't happen hence all the bitterness.

Nevertheless, I don't agree with your thinking. First of all, why consider Fassone a reject? Just because he was let go by Inter? That was due to his tense relationship with Inter's CEO Bolingbroke, not due to his incompetence. People change jobs all the time, doesn't make them rejects. By that logic, Braida was also a reject when Barça hired him.

Secondly, Fassone worked for Napoli, Juve and Inter. Doesn't make him an interista. Same with Mirabelli. He was with Inter for less than two years, and previously worked his @ss off with smaller clubs to get where he is today.

Seems very narrow-minded and unfair to me to complain like this so early when nothing has been laid out yet. Just because a couple of milanistas are whining doesn't make their criticism legitimate. And let's be honest here. Costacurta has always been a massive tightass.

So what have Fassone and Mirabelli done that you put so much faith in them?

What should have they done to warrant the faith you require?

Fassone has plenty of experience, we all know who he is.

As for Mirabelli, let me cite you what Calciomercato.com had to say about him:



Link

I agree. We are not going to instantly go back to what we were a decade ago, we need to re-build and it will take a little time. And based on what I have seen, Fassone + Mirabelli feel like a good start. Also, I believe it is Fassone's intention to bring one of the Milan legends for a meaningful role.

The sale is not even complete yet (and will not be for several weeks), give the new management team a little time!

All I've read about Mirabelli makes me thing he's the ideal scout or Chief of the scouting staff. I honestly don't see the point of a Footballing director who spends 2 months in SA and tours around Europe. Because that's the only good thing about him I hear.

You ask what they should have done? Perhaps some concrete results? Galliani has also plenty of experience. But nevermind. I see now that you guys don't feel this is a problem.

Concrete results? Really? They are not even in charge yet! They will not be in charge for several weeks. What results do you expect?

As for Mirabelli, I would expect he will send someone else to do the scouting. It is the attitude that matters. Scouting rather than paying ridiculous money to agents. Money that could be spent on players.

Previous results.

Fassone has contacted Maldini to offer him a return to Milan and is waiting for his response.
[Milan TV]

Galliani got plenty of results, are you arguing we should stick with him? If not, who did you have in mind?


Strange, I thought we were only going after interisti ...

Fassone is evidently trying to quite down the critics, which is good.

No. I just want to know why you all put so much faith into those guys? Sure, Fassone was at Juve, Napoli and Inter. Mirabelli at Sunderland and Inter. But what have they achieved so far?

Galliani achieved all and ruined all. He's finished, his time is over.

Daniele Massaro: "I'd return to Milan for free. The name is not enough to become a coach and it's not easy to be a director"

Maybe han2503 is right and it's all rumours, but the original names all proposed were former Inter directors. And that pissed me off completely. I'll be blunt, I'd much rather have Galliani with money to spend rather than a bunch of ex-Interistas who till about 4 years ago were chasing our dust. Even now they haven't come close to being the premier Milanese club.

I just hope that the two Chinese owners don't get the bright idea of merging the two clubs into one because they think it makes sense. Like Lenovo and Motorola or something.

I have faith in Mirabelli given what I've read about him. And Fassone seems to have a very clear idea about how to build this team into a winning one. That's all I need to know. Their past matters little to me.



I doubt you guys minded when we picked from Inter the various Seedorf, Pirlo, Simic etc. Why should it be different now? This willingness to label people as ex-this or ex-that, seems very childish to me.

Childish? You seem to forget that football isn't just "business as usual" and completely dispassionate.

Seedorf and Pirlo are hardly comparable examples, but if you like I can explain.

Football is business. The Chinese are spending nearly a billion euro in this project, and they don't want that their investment goes to waste. These guys are not stupid, they've done their homework. And they've pin-pointed in Fassone the adequate person to re-design the organizational chart of the club from scratch.

You can say whatever you want about Fassone, but he is a well respected figure with lots of experience. Yet yours and many others' argument is that he is an ex-interista, who's bringing more interistas inside the club (even though Fassone and Mirabelli can hardly be considered that given their very brief period at Inter). Such line of thinking is childish.

Fassone is continuing his meetings with the current administrators of Milan. In the coming days he will meet with Barbara Berlusconi. They will discuss about commercial area, in order to avoid critical issues. He will also have to deal with the famous question concerning the lack of official uniforms. #GdS

Former Inter scout Antonio D'Ottavio could also arrive in Milan with Mirabelli. #GdS

The new management will soon meet with Niang and Bonaventura to discuss about contract renewal. #Calciomercato

Very simplified. Certainly, to the CEO's and all the people investing in football it is business. But I'm a fan, not an executive, and for me it's much more then business.

You can say I'm childish as much as you like. But I chose Milan for a reason. I like for what the club stands for and how the club was operated for most part of the time, bar these last 4-5 years. There was always a clear line that separated Milan and Inter. Even at the moment of Inter's biggest success, when they started piling up scudetto's and got a breakthrough in Europe, I never for a second thought this is how we should work or be.

I am well aware that two men (or is it three by now??) don't make that much of a difference. But I see Billy and Demetrio being bitter about it and that makes me angry because a priori i respect them much more then any Fassone guy. It makes me question the ambitions and careful planning of the Chinese for Milan because hiring Inter rejects is the easiest, most convenient solution. When Barcelona hired Braida it was a carefully designed move; on the other hand, Milan is bound to collect "professionals" and "business people" along with one trophy (a Milan legend for the fans), which makes me unconfortable because I don't wanna lose what Milan represented in comparison to Inter and Juventus.

Thinking with our hearts and not our brains is what drove us to the ground; by renewing the contracts of all the senators in 2007, by holding onto Galliani, by keeping our faith in good ol' Silvio. It was our demise. We stopped working as a business a long time ago, and we desperately need to get back on track in that respect.

I understand where you're coming from, but to me that issue is of secondary nature. What I want is a competent management that can make us great again. I have nothing against Fassone or any other "Inter rejects". These guys are professionals who do their jobs, they are not bound by petty notions of fandom.

Besides, nothing has been set in stone yet. Tomorrow we could very well bring on board the ex-milanistas you want. Albertini and Costacurta can whine all they want. Don't forget that in this world everyone seeks their personal interests, and these guys are no different.

Universo Online - UOL (Brasilian website): Talks to extend Thiago Silva's contract with PSG stalled and that Milan want to sign him. They might try to do so in the next mercato.

What makes him an Inter "reject" exactly? He's spent the last 2 decades in roles with 3 of the biggest clubs in Italy. That's experience I'm fine with.

Exactly. And I am not sure why we are jumping to the conclusion that the new owners "lack ambition"

Savicevic: "Milan of today? I think everything started when Milan had to sell Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva. I cannot judge from 2000 kilometers, but they could've sold Pato, Robinho and Cassano instead of these two."

Honestly, I don't think keeping the senators in 2007 was the main mistake. The main problem was that Milan could afford to keep up with the greats. The second mistake was that we rejected any attempt of rejuvenating our squad and instead signed more old players or questionable rejects.

I think the reasons behind our demise have far more to do with muscle (financial) then brains or hearts as you suggest.


Petty notions of fandom? I think you underestimate sentiment. Professionalism? Are Fassone and Mirabelli and the third guy the only professionals available?

Again, I think our club needs reshaping. Milan needs to reinvent itself with the help of the old family feeling and the inner strength. Just recall what Ibrahimović, who played at Juve, Inter, Barca, Ajax, etc said - Manchester and Milan are the greatest clubs he ever played for because of that special feeling. Now you can argue that Ibra was bitter and mean in regards to Barca or Inter, but the comment (IMO) goes beyond just that. It shows you how a great club drives on atmosphere and ambient. It's not by accident that Barcelona snatched Braida as well.

All I'm saying is that it's crucial to try and regain our old Milan. And that can be done with people from within, rather then with cold professionals who are used to move from one big city to another. And this doesn't mean people like Fassone shouldn't be included. On the contrary, I understand that such professionals are a necessity. But if too many faces like him turn up in the leading positions of our club, I don't expect much to be honest.

Again, you all failed to explain why you put faith in Fassone and Mirabelli. Just because they were at Juventus or Inter at some point doesn't mean much to me. And the list of Mirabelli players isn't that impressive either.


Agreed. But I have love and respect for both, so I choose to be on their side.


Yeah. But that's about it. Juventus, Napoli, Inter. What about his concrete achievements?


Never did I meant this to be a judgment. I said it could mean lack of plan or ambition, just picking the obvious and convenient decisions.

I think a lot of people are jumping to conclusions based on very, very little information. I don't know how good the new owners really are, and I don't know how good the management team they selected really is. However, I think they all deserve a chance to prove themselves. Judging people without real evidence just feels wrong to me, and that's what I see happening here. And, as a reminder, Milan is still being managed by B&G, and that will not change until the sale is final (December, I believe).

Also, what we all should have learned from the last decade is that in this day and age a team cannot be successful in the long run unless there is a solid business backing it. So IMHO step number one for the new management should be to fix the business (which is badly broken), not to build a dream team. With a solid business, we are more likely to get a competitive team in a few years. Without a solid foundation, best we can hope for is to get lucky for one year or maybe two. As far as I can tell, fixing the business is the number one priority for the new owners + management. That gives me some level of confidence. As for players, we are not RM, so we are not going to be able to buy all the talent we need at today's market price (at least not right away). Hence the need to have a solid scouting organization, and that appears to be happening as well. Bottom line, AFAIAC these are all good signs. Only time will tell if these "signs" will translate in something concrete, or if this will be yet another disappointment.

What irks me here is that people are complaining about two people, Fassone and Mirabelli, labelling them as interistas, when in reality they are not. Fassone was with Inter only for three years (2012-2015). He was previously with Napoli for two years (2010-2012) after his experience with Juve started in 2003. The moment we hired him the guy was jobless. How the hell does that make him an ex-interista???

Likewise, Mirabelli was hired from Inter only in 2014.

I think all the turmoil here is a result of Albertini and Costacurta's whining. They didn't get offered a position within the new management, so now they're butthurt and want to create unrest out of their discontent. So much for their love for the rossoneri colors...

Latest rumors were that Fassone will offer Maldini a managerial role (but he won't accept as he's stated several times in the past). Ambrosini is also being considered, and I read Massaro said he'd come for free if he was called.

Just chill and relax, guys. I am certain the new ownership knows what they're doing, otherwise they wouldn't have spent so much money on this project. Especially when you consider their financial backing.