Cardinal fires Maldini. Only the official is missing, but the relationship between RedBird and the Rossoneri technical director can already be considered concluded, as well as the cycle that brought a Scudetto and a Champions League semi-final, as well as thebalance sheet surplus after 16 years of accounts in the red. He goes together with Maldini away also Massara, while Pioli, according to what filters from Via Aldo Rossi, remains in his place, strengthened by the trust of the owners and CEO Giorgio Furlani, destined to assume an even more central role in the dynamics of the club. But what happened yesterday to lead to such a turnaround, however completely unexpected?
Cardinale fires Maldini and Massara: last year's flop market weighs, but also the diversity of views on the future
It all started with a breakfast meeting between Cardinale and Maldini, in which the patron, in perfect American style, gave him the go-ahead without too many words. “You and Massara are no longer part of our plans”, the gist of the speech, the result of frictions that had been going on for a long time and culminated in the declarations of the director immediately after the Champions League derby.
The words, however, are certainly not the reason for the dismissal, which must instead be sought in the market last summer, deemed (not wrongly) completely bankrupt. RedBird accused Maldini of having spent 51 million (35 only for De Ketelaere) without reinforcing the starting eleven, indeed weakened by loss of Kessie free of charge: an unforgivable mistake in the logic of an investment fund, for which the business is the only thing that really matters.
The parties also had too different visions of the future, with Cardinale determined to continue on the green line, against a Maldini who would have liked to buy three or four elements to be on the safe side. In short, the split was not entirely unexpected, but the ways in which it arrived were surprising even for the two executives: just think that yesterday an interview was scheduled with the attorney of Loftus-Cheek, testifying to how the couple was proceeding with the construction of the new Milan.
Maldini and Massara will not be replaced: more power to Furlani, Moncada and… Pioli
The news is too big to pass over and look to the future, but it is inevitable to try and try to figure out who will take the lead. From what it filters no new executive will arrive, therefore the (rather large) void will be filled with two internal solutions. Giorgio Furlani, who arrived in November in place of Gazidis, should occupy a more central position, not limiting himself to the administrative side, but above all Geoffrey Moncada to rise in rank: the Rossoneri chief scout, in fact, will manage the transfer market personally, with directed by an increasingly involved Pioli in the technical choices.
Many thought that the figure of the coach was closely linked to that of Maldini and Massara, however the owners absolutely do not want to deprive themselves of him, believing that he has done his best with the squad available. We'll see if he'll be fine with continuing to work without his main sponsors (let's not forget that Elliot, during the 2020 lockdown, wanted to replace him with Ragnick) or if he'll opt for a different choice, but Cardinal is pleased with him and has no plans to replace it. In short, once again, a hot summer is expected around Casa Milan and the weather, just to clarify, has absolutely nothing to do with it.
