Ex-Lille boss Paulo Fonseca has been confirmed as AC Milan's new manager, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic hoping they can play "dominant football" under him.
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Pioli has just departed AC MilanFonseca confirmed as new managerIbrahimovic explains hiring decisionWHAT HAPPENED?
Milan have been looking for a new manager following the departure of Stefano Pioli at the end of the Serie A season – bookmarking a five-year spell at the Rossoneri. On Thursday, the Italian giants confirmed former Roma and Lille boss Fonseca would replace him in the dugout and now club legend and senior advisor Ibrahimovic has explained the decision to recruit the Portuguese.
AdvertisementAC MilanWHAT ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC SAID
At a press conference, Ibrahimovic said: “He’ll [Fonseca] be the new coach, it was a thoughtful choice. We want Milan to be able to play dominant football. We studied how he coaches, how he prepares matches. After five years we needed something new. Fonseca is the right man, we believe in him so much. He’s the right man.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Milan had a trophyless season under Pioli in 2023/24 and finished a whopping 19 points behind bitter rivals and Serie A champions Inter Milan. Fonseca has won silverware while managing FC Porto, Braga, and Shakhtar Donetsk but this is the biggest appointment of the 51-year-old's managerial career.
WHAT NEXT?
Fonseca will link up with Christian Pulisic and his Milan team-mates next month for pre-season. Following the announcement, he posted on X (formerly Twitter): "An honour, a pride, a responsibility. Go Milan!"
