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Massimo Calvelli is becoming increasingly involved with Milan. The former CEO of ATP, who joined RedBird a year ago and has been an operating partner since last July, is playing an ever-greater role at the Rossoneri club. He was also present at the meeting in London last Thursday, when fund owner Gerry Cardinale wanted to hear from all the Rossoneri club’s directors, including Furlani and Ibrahimovic. He is always present at San Siro and yesterday was alongside Cardinale at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium in Genoa, where Milan played a crucial match to take a further step towards qualifying for the Champions League.

Calvelli was officially appointed to the Rossoneri club’s Board of Directors at the start of last November. As the months have passed, his influence has grown and he is now a key figure for Cardinale in Milan; indeed, the former ATP executive is held in high regard by the owner, but according to the latest rumours, he has no ambitions to become the club’s next CEO. Will the likely managerial shake-up at Milan also involve him? What role will he play at the end of the season when the time comes to take stock and assess the work carried out by the entire Milan management team?

https://m.milannews.it/primo-piano/calvelli-sempre-piu-al-centro-delle-scelte-milan-summit-con-cardinale-e-sguardo-al-futuro-617741

The sweet taste of yesterday’s victory over Genoa has softened what has been a week in which, probably, only the players had Milan’s best interests at heart. This refrain of ‘Milan’s best interests’ has clashed spectacularly with the public revelations regarding the club’s internal dynamics: Igli Tare’s position is increasingly seen as precarious or on the verge of departure, Giorgio Furlani is facing criticism, and there is an irreconcilable rift between Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Massimiliano Allegri. The real question is this: how could Allegri possibly continue as Milan’s manager with such a dominant figure as Ibra, who is still unaccustomed to the role he is expected to fulfil? The answer seems logical and obvious: in terms of decision-making, Allegri is the weaker figure, as Ibrahimovic is an advisor to RedBird, with whom he has business ties. And here we return to what is best for Milan, with the ball inevitably passing to Gerry Cardinale.

Who will he choose: Allegri or Ibrahimovic?

The Rossoneri boss is at a crossroads: should he back the manager with whom he has discussed how the season went and future plans, or continue to humour Zlatan, who was once again conspicuously absent from the team’s entourage yesterday? How can Cardinale remain unmoved and indifferent to the self-sabotage Ibra has committed by calling Leao, Pulisic, Loftus-Cheek, Fofana and Tomori, revealing to them Allegri’s desire not to have them in the squad for next season? This is called a “breach of confidentiality” and has caused considerable damage, as it all took place following an internal club meeting and whilst the season was still underway, with the Champions League objective gradually slipping away, amidst a climate of constant and growing dissatisfaction and dissent. It is widely assumed that only one can remain: either Allegri or Ibrahimovic, with the latter gradually eroding the aura he had built up during his two spells as a player at Milan. It is a complex puzzle, which also involves Giorgio Furlani and all areas of the club.

The difference between Elliott and RedBird

However, Cardinale will also have to change his financial approach towards Milan. Under RedBird’s management, the Rossoneri have been self-sustaining, as per their mandate. The cash flow generated over the past four years is the result of the management’s strategies, both in the transfer market and in commercial operations, as no funds have been channelled into Milan from RedBird’s coffers. Hence the massive activity in the transfer market, with over ninety transactions involving arrivals and departures that have prevented the team from building a core squad capable of lasting over time, and the mistakes made when investing in player fees, another major issue. For whilst it is true that investment diversification was the basis for certain decisions, it is equally true that beyond a certain threshold, Cardinale’s approval would have been required, given that, as per official documents that emerged in 2023, any expenditure exceeding 30 million requires the owner’s approval. Elliott, on the other hand, when it took over Milan in 2018, went on to inject over 500 million into the club, including capital increases, balance sheet restructuring, and funds for the transfer market and day-to-day operations. Substantial differences, even though both are investment funds

Marotta’s open-goal strike

In the build-up to the Inter v Verona match, Inter president Giuseppe Marotta was quick to respond to comments made by Cardinale to *Gazzetta dello Sport* and *Corriere della Sera*, in which the Milan owner referred to the final that Inter lost 5-0. A final that Milan haven’t played in since 2007 and who knows how many more years it will be before they do. Marotta highlighted the trophies Inter have won domestically and, ironically, wished Cardinale well in matching them. An open-goal that could and should have been avoided. To make amends, we need to build a winning Milan side, free from self-sabotage, one that doesn’t have to sweat and struggle to qualify for the Champions League; otherwise, they will continue to celebrate whilst we watch ourselves lose ground in the hall of fame and among the new generations of fans, who are leaning more towards Inter than Milan. And no, tourists alone won’t be enough to fill this void…

https://m.milannews.it/editoriale/allegri-o-ibra-cardinale-chi-scegliera-tra-i-due-il-gol-a-porta-vuota-di-marotta-champions-il-minimo-617622