Just hours after the news broke that Marcelo Gallardo was fired as coach of Al-Ittihad, a rumor emerged from Italy that puts Milan at the forefront of the race to acquire the Argentine’s services. Thus, the Doll could have a new destiny practically without even having spent a day on the market.
Although details still remain to be defined for Gallardo’s separation to be official, the truth is that the decision in Saudi Arabia has been made, after the sporting results and his fight with Karim Benzema seal his fate at the club. Given this, the Italian press echoed the possibility of Milan entering into negotiations with the Argentine, after having had it in the pipeline in April, when he was still managing the Arab team.
Specifically, it was the Italian journalist Gianluca DiMarzio who assured that Milan “closely follows Gallardo’s situation”, in the midst of his separation from Al-Ittihad. Thus, it will be necessary to see if, once his departure is resolved, the Italians accelerate for the former River coach and he takes the step towards Europe.
It is worth mentioning that the Milan leadership had thought of Julen Lopetegui as a replacement for Stefano Pioli. However, his fans gave the Spaniard the thumbs down with a campaign on social networks: “#Nopetegui.”
Such was the impact of this refusal on the part of the fans that the leadership was forced to rule out the Spaniard’s option and reanalyze other candidates for the position who knew how to be on the radar at the beginning of this process to replace the boss who won the 2021/22 Serie A and reached the semifinals of the 2022/23 Champions League. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the main coaches that both the Board of Directors and their fans liked were Antonio Conte, Roberto De Zerbi and Thiago Motta; with Paulo Fonseca also in orbit but without generating consensus among fans.
Specifically, the European club that came closest to acquiring the services of Muñeco was Olympique de Marseille, in mid-2023. That time, everything was in place for the Argentine to land in the French team as a replacement for Igor Tudor. However, Gallardo rejected the offer, arguing that he did not feel 100 percent fit to take over, and the position finally went to Marcelino García Toral.
Gallardo’s weak campaign in Al-Ittihad that triggered his departure
In total, he directed 30 games, of which he won 14, drew 3 and lost 13. His contract was until June 2025, but the leadership of the Arab team decided to end it a little more than a year before it ends.
Regarding results in competitions, he did not achieve titles:
- Eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Club World Cup
- Eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Asian Champions
- Eliminated in the semifinals of the King’s Cup of Champions of Saudi Arabia
- Runner-up in the Saudi Arabian Super Cup
- Fifth place in the Saudi Super League
2024-05-14 09:12:08
#Milan #charge #Marcelo #Gallardo
