The day after AC Milan’s defeat in the Derby della Madonnina against Milan’s rival Inter (1-2), it is time for reflection on the Rossoneri side, while Stefano Pioli’s players do not have no more competition to play in this season which is already guaranteed to be blank and devoid of any trophy: elimination in the group stages of the Champions League, elimination in the quarter-final of the Europa League against AS Roma, elimination in the Coppa against Atalanta and traumatized runner-up to the new Italian champions, Inter Milan. A few minutes after the Nerazzurri’s coronation, Stefano Pioli, in an ejection seat and widely criticized, was invited to answer questions about his future at the head of the Milan club, while his contract will end in June 2025: “The cycle is over? I don’t know. I’m doing well, I’m working well, the team has room for improvement. I live in Milan and I could see that 14 months ago, Simone Inzaghi was almost worth throwing away according to some and then look what he did next, we will take stock at the end of the year », said. But behind this communication, the future of the Italian tactician is written far, very far from Lombardy.
Stefano Pioli has been questioned by Milanese fans and journalists for several months now. If he had managed to reshape his group a little, the last two weeks seem to have marked an assured divorce at the end of the season. According to information from the Italian press, the management of AC Milan will part ways with its coach. Since then, several profiles have been mentioned: from Thiago Motta to Antonio Conte via Xavi, Unai Emery, Sérgio Conceição, Roberto De Zerbi and Raffaele Palladino. But a name was recently added to the list and it could well overtake the competition. Indeed, according to our information, Mark van Bommel is scoring a lot of points internally, within the Milanese leaders, to the point where certain thinking heads consider him as the new priority target, or even the obvious favorite for the succession of Stefano Pioli. Although it is still too early to talk about advanced negotiations, the first steps have been taken in recent days.
Zlatan pushes internally!
At the head of Royal Antwerp in Belgium since May 2022, Mark van Bommel (47 years old) is part of this new wave of young coaches who are rising in Europe. Having passed through the benches of PSV Eindhoven, where he pocketed solid results, then of VfL Wolfsburg, the former midfielder especially experienced an incredible epic in Antwerp. Indeed, he led the Belgian club to a formidable Championship – Cup – Super Cup treble last season. Under contract until June 2025, his cycle at Royal Antwerp seems to be in its final months, while the Antwerp team is today ranked in an anecdotal 5th position (out of six places) in the Jupiler League Playoffs. Despite these poor results, Mark van Bommel caught the eye of the Milanese management and especially the sports advisor, Zlatan Ibrahimović. Indeed, according to our indiscretions, it is the Swedish giant which is pushing internally to install a trainer that it knows and that it worked closely with when the two men were still active. With an ever-increasing decision-making role with American owner Gerry Cardinale, Zlatan Ibrahimović hopes that his request will be respected. The first informal contacts took place between the Dutch and the Swede. The current Antwerp coach would even be inclined to accept a two-season contract to take charge of the transition project carried out in Milan.
However, the situation does not look simple since Mark van Bommel’s profile is not yet unanimous and Gerry Cardinale wants to take his time and choose a tactician who will make everyone agree. According to our information, a large meeting will take place in the coming days with the entire Milanese management including Geoffrey Moncada (technical director), Giorgio Furlani (general director) and Zlatan Ibrahimović (sports advisor) with the aim of reducing the final list candidates for three profiles by the end of next week. In the meantime, the former Paris Saint-Germain scorer will continue his propaganda with the various members of the management, still convinced that Mark van Bommel’s 4-3-3 system would be the best solution to heal all the wounds of the Rossoneri. In any case, things are moving behind the scenes and Gerry Cardinale, who will have the last word on this matter, does not change his mind and wants a coach who is fully involved in the sporting project, particularly in the summer transfer window. The assumed proximity and cordial relations between van Bommel and Ibrahimović may play a role in the balance.
