AC Milan might make the most boom-or-bust hire possible

AC Milan appear to be on the verge of letting Stefano Pioli walk despite the fact that the Italian manager brought the Scudetto back to the Rossoneri in 2021/22 and then took the team to the Champions League semifinals the following season.

In their first year under the new “Moneyball” approach from Redbird, Milan have been riding the ups and downs. New acquisitions like Christian Pulisic and Tijani Reijnders are promising, but the defense remains decimated on the right side of the formation.

Milan are third and 10 points clear of Atalanta but 7 points behind Juventus in second.

They are third because everyone below them is uncharacteristically weak this season, while the true disappointing nature of the 2023/24 campaign is reflected by the fact that they are lagging so far behind their title rivals in the Scudetto race.

Milan are already actively searching for a new manager who can take them to the next level, and it is Telelombardia who report that Italian legend Antonio Conte has accepted the gig.

Conte made the club of his playing days, Juventus, the most powerful team in Italy and one of the most powerful in all of Europe during his tenure in the 2010s.

Antonio Conte often has messy exits from clubs

Later, in his return to club coaching in Italy, he broke up that same Scudetto monopoly in Turin by leading Inter Milan to the 2020/21 Serie A title, coaxing an MVP campaign out of Belgian star Romelu Lukaku.

Now, it appears Conte is ready for a new coaching job in Italy, with Roma and Napoli also hot on his heels. But for now, it looks like Milan are poised to capture the mercurial manager’s signature.

Conte had high-profile blow-ups to end his time at Chelsea and Inter, but the way in which he left Tottenham – effectively daring the club to fire him – has to take the cake as the most quintessential Conte exit.

What makes matters a little more awkward for him is the fact that Tottenham have been immediately more successful in 2023/24 under Ange Postecoglou, though, in fairness to Conte, Postecoglou has gotten more investment (though no Harry Kane).

Conte at Milan is therefore a risk. He is not easy to work with, his track record of success is strong but not necessarily elite, and he will command more in salary and more power from the front office than any other manager.

While a report indicates Conte has accepted the job, the move is merely a rumor at this point.

It could very well happen, given Milan are the highest-profile club in Italy with an opportunity and Redbird may want to roll the dice on an ambitious coaching hire after already bringing club icon Zlatan Ibrahimović into a key front office role.

Related