It seems it is only a matter of time for AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli. The boss of the second-place club in Serie A will reportedly leave the Italian team at the end of the current season. From multiple reportsthe Italian giants have decided to part ways with the Italian manager after the Rossoneri were knocked out by AS Roma in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League.
Pioli, who has a contract with AC Milan until the summer of 2025, joined the club in October 2019 to replace Marco Giampaolo and won the 2021/22 Serie A title, completing an extraordinary comeback against city rivals Inter . On Monday I will have the chance to win the 2023/24 Scudetto against the same AC Milan in one of the most anticipated Derby della Madonnina in recent history.
AC Milan owner Gerry Cardinale has reportedly decided to part ways with Pioli after giving him more power in the decision-making process in the summer of 2023, a choice that also led to the departure of former club legend Paolo Maldini and sporting director Ricky Massara. AC Milan made a number of key transfer moves, including bringing in USMNT star Christian Pulisic, former Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Samuel Chukwueze from Villarreal, but also sold Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali who joined Newcastle in the same summer transfer session. Despite many signings, AC Milan were never in contention to win the Serie A title and were knocked out by Atalanta in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals, but were also notably knocked out in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League before losing against AS Roma in the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
AC Milan is already exploring some options for Pioli’s successor. Although the chances of seeing Antonio Conte again at San Siro on the other side of the river are now very slim, La Gazzetta dello Sport wrote that the current frontrunners for the job are former Wolverhampton coach Julen Lopetegui, Nice manager Paulo Fonseca, former PSG Christophe Galtier and former River Plate manager Marcelo Gallardo.
