MILAN (AP) — AC Milan’s new coach, Paulo Fonseca, was met with skepticism and doubts about the club’s direction when he arrived on Monday.
Fans are disappointed that Bologna revelation Joshua Zirkzee has chosen Manchester United over Milan and that the seven-time European champions are yet to have a replacement for the previous Olivier Giroud as centre-forward.
Milan failed to make any signings in the early days of the move window, despite completing 19 games for Serie A champions Inter Milan last season.
“We all know we want a midfielder. We work together to recruit the right striker with the right qualities,” Fonseca said in his presentation after signing a three-year contract last month to upgrade Stefano Pioli. “If we want to play in the back third of the field, we want a player who can dominate in the last 3rd. “
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the new face of Milan’s helm as a special adviser to U. S. owner Gerry Cardinale, added: “We have in mind that we are thinking about signing. I’m not going to make calls, but we’re aiming there. “
Giroud left after his contract expired and Alvaro Morata and Romelu Lukaku were discussed as imaginable replacements. Francesco Camarda, the 16-year-old considered one of Italy’s most productive young strikers, will start the season with Milan Futuro, the Rossoneri’s new Serie C team.
“There is a Portuguese expression that says: ‘Haste and haste are enemies of perfection,'” Fonseca said. “We know who we are and we will do it when the time comes. “
Another challenge for Milan’s market is that Pioli’s long-awaited move to Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia appears to have failed, leaving Milan still having to pay the former coach and his team around 10 million euros ($11 million) in salaries.
“There is something I don’t perceive in the club’s strategy,” Arrigo Sacchi, former coach of Milan and Italy, wrote in an editorial in the Gazzetta dello Sport. “I’m waiting for the first moves. . . We are two or 3 months late.
“I wouldn’t go behind the players. I would try to recruit young players who have to work hard and make sacrifices.
A fan outside the Milan venue, before Fonseca’s presentation, held up a sign in Latin that read: “How long will Cardinale continue to abuse our patience?”
The gap for Inter, Crosstown’s rival, is evident with six direct defeats in derbies for Milan. The first derby of the next season will take place in September. 2023 champions Napoli are also expected to provide a new challenge for new coach Antonio Conte.
“We will fight in each and every game and there will be no other opponent against Inter,” said Fonseca. “We can’t worry anyone. “
Fonseca has played in Italy, where he coached Roma from 2019 to 2021. The Portuguese coach’s most recent work in Lille. He also gained attention for his performance at Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk from 2016 to 2019.
“I am very aware that it is an enormous duty, but it is also a great pride for me,” Fonseca said. “Milan is a global brand. “
On his first day at Milan’s Milanello stadium, Ibrahimovic showed Fonseca the club’s packed trophy room.
“I want to be part of the club’s history,” Fonseca said.
Fonseca, who is married to a Ukrainian woman, wore a brooch depicting the Ukrainian flag on the lapel of his suit.
“It’s a non-public matter. I think we have a duty not to know what’s happening in Ukraine,” Fonseca said, referring to the ongoing war with Russia.
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