‘Fonseca, the overtaking’ – why he is now the favourite to arrive at Milan

Every day there seems to be a new favourite in the race to become AC Milan’s next head coach, and today the wheel seems to have landed on Paulo Fonseca.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below), Fonseca is now the frontrunner to take over from Stefano Pioli at the end of the season and lead Milan into a new era, but the answers will only come next week.

That is because Fonseca has a busy weekend: a Champions League spot will be played for on Sunday evening with Lille who are now in third place. 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.

The choice

The saga of Pioli’s heir is a TV series that has been running for weeks. Julen Lopetegui was evaluated for months and chosen: he met Gerry Cardinale, he got the green light from the club and was already planning next season.

The reversal, born after heavy criticism from the fans, caused the process to restart and Lopetegui is now heading for West Ham. It is a complex casting, also because the decisions at Milan are collegial.

Two people don’t decide, as in the Paolo Maldini era, but a collective ok from Giorgio Furlani, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and 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.

They are looking for a coach capable of working as a team, capable of improving young players and accepting a project in which sustainability is the central concept.