Vincenzo Montella set to become new AC Milan boss - reports
Vincenzo Montella is reportedly on the brink of being named the new coach of AC Milan, with Marco Giampaolo set to replace him at Sampdoria.
According to Italian press reports, including La Gazzetta dello Sport and Mediaset, the 42-year-old has emerged as the favourite to sit on theRossoneri bench next season with Cristian Brocchi unlikely to be confirmed in the position he filled for the final third of last season.
Brocchi is reported to have asked to be released so he can accept the job at Serie B club Brescia and Milan are unlikely to stand in his way after he oversaw a drop in league position last season after replacing Sinisa Mihajlovic, and Milan missing out on European football for a third straight season.
Montella, who guided Sampdoria to safety after replacing Walter Zenga early last season, had been a Milan target before they chose Mihajlovic last summer and a year on their long-awaited collaboration could finally begin.
According to La Gazzetta, his appointment will be confirmed as soon as club president Silvio Berlusconi fully recovers from a recent heart operation to discuss the appointment with the group of Chinese investors who have until the end of the month to complete their takeover of the Serie A club.
With Berlusconi not expected to leave his hospital bed until the middle of July, however, all important decisions could be delayed for a little longer, creating further uncertainty as the Rossoneri's rivals slowly start to commence preseason training.
Even Brocchi may have to wait until Berlusconi has recovered before learning whether his request to leave has been accepted, a decision which also leaves Brescia in limbo.
Montella promises free-flowing tactics for AC Milan job
Should Vincenco Montella
become the Rossoneri’s new coach, his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation would call
for quality in midfield and attack
With recent
links to a coaching role with AC Milan making
headlines, Vincenzo Montella is likely to make use of all his attacking options
should he land in Lombardy.
Stints with
teams like Catania, Fiorentina and Sampdoria have
shown the ex-striker’s ability to operate within the means of his squad, yet
there has always been a relatively pungent offensive theme to his Serie
A strategies.
A move to the San Siro
would surely bring this mentality to Milanello, but it will take time
before the club adapt to such a strong focus on dribbling and ball possession.
Montella would reunite with
former Roma Primavera pupil in Alessio Romagnoli at Milan, who would be
expected to star the build-up play from the back under the 42-year-old.
The current Rossoneri line-up would
likely fit Montella’s preference for either a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation, but
more attack-minded transfers would be necessary to guarantee creativity,
assists and goals in his favoured style.Midfielders like Juraj Kucka,
Riccardo Montolivo, Andrea Bertolacci or Andrea Poli would link up with the
defence to move possession, while wingers like Keisuke Honda or Giacomo
Bonaventura make dynamic moves on the flank in order to try and aid
central strikers Carlos Bacca or Gianluca Lapadula.
Although Milan’s squad may still be
in for a world of change before the season kicks off in August, Montella might
be strapped for time to establish a desired formula as a result.