American ownership in football has been anything but uncontroversial. By the time Berlusconi first rebuffed Middle Eastern bids but years later sold to Li Yonghong, a Chinese businessman who was all but confirmed to be a fraud, football had changed to be very much a “non-European” interest. Americans found their way to football ownership of course, first to the riches of the English league and more elsewhere on the continent. The nature of these deals swayed to business models where corporate takeover style deals were used to finance deals and investors got into the game with loans and interest to pay.

Elliott Investment Management grabbed Milan back from Li and did what investment funds do. Kept the asset until they wouldn’t. Milan was punted to Redbird Capital Partners who partner “with leading entrepreneurs and holders of the world’s most iconic intellectual property”. Milan had a post banter era high with Maldini at the helm but due to demands and differing visions this was never likely to be a lasting setup under an ownership of the type alluded to above.

Prioritizing or even holding equal value to finances and growing the product on the pitch is difficult and for teams outside of the English league doubly so. Doing it without an owned stadium is a further impediment.

Milan’s RedBird story includes Ibra. The Swede returned to Milan to finish his footballing career with praise, popularity and even a rescue mission feel. He retired to tears and then was offered an advisory and partnership role in Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird. His stock has fallen ever since. To the point of him being seen to interfere with team’s personnel and coaches and worse still to the point of sidestepping normal operating structures to talk to players and fight with Allegri as has been reported.

This summer, following the dismissal of Furlani, Tare, Allegri and Moncada he is seen as a person to rebuild the team. Or is he? Fan fury and indeed Cardinale’s own reluctance seem to be pushing Ibra aside and mitigating his influence. As of this writing many fans are willing to, perhaps reluctantly, trust the American owner in the perception that he is willing to hand over the keys to someone experienced in rebuilding a football team, Ralf Rangnick. Rangnick has some credit to his name as a football director at Red Bull (Leipzig, Salzburg, etc.) among others. The German has apparently demanded total control of the football side if he is to accept the job and that means he will be the one choose the first team coach to replace Allegri. Will this be accepted? Cardinale and Milan board member Massimo Calvelli seems to be okay with it and the latter who is set to take on Furlani’s CEO role is reported to be pushing for it. Ibra, on the other hand, is at rick of losing his legacy. According to some he of the famously big self confidence is insisting on more power, some of which may be handed over to his friend Jovan Kirovski. Kirovski is of course currently in charge of the Milan Futuro project. Ibra may further use his power to pursue the likes of Mauricio Pochettino, currently the coach of the US national team. For his part Rangnick could look to appoint Oliver Glasner, most recently of Crystal Palace, or Matthias Jaissle, ex Red Bull Salzburg and currently coaching the Al-Ahli team in Saudi Arabia.

Milan is entering another big revolution, with many names almost certain to surface as the days go by. This was not envisioned for this summer with an experienced, or put another way a stabilizing, coach like Allegri. However everyone at Milan seems to have played a part in sabotaging the 2025-2026 season that looked sound at least. Another long summer, another year zero at Milan.

Milan beat Genoa in less than convincing fashion to preserve the shot for a top four finish for the 2025-2026 Serie A season. As it turned out destiny is still in the team’s own hands and a win versus Cagliari will confirm a Champions League spot. A tie opens up the potential for a three way head to head mini league if Como and Juventus win and an even bigger four team league if Roma tie. Roma is tied with Milan but a head to head with Roma alone has Milan ahead, if both teams win. All in all Milan are in a pretty good position with a tie but a loss can easily lead to missing out on the riches that the European spot brings.

The recent form has led to yet another crisis. There are all sorts of rumours and claims on what will happen in the summer. Earlier reports had Tare the first casualty. Then Cardinale arrived for an in person inspection of sorts and things seem to have changed somewhat. Every scenario is reported as a possibility. Allegri could remain and be supported with investment. Furlani, subject of the wrath of fans and curva sud, could be the first to replaced. Ibra, rumoured to have leaked some management change possibilities to players, could go. Moncada could be tempted by Nice or Sevilla. Speculation has created a chaotic atmosphere leading up to this season finale. On the incoming front there are renewed rumours about Galliani returning, possibly to replace Furlani as CEO. If not Galliani then Massimo Calvelli who is part of the RedBird leadership could be tasked with recruiting a Furlani replacement with Giovanni Carnevali of Sassulo or Giovanni Carnevali of Bologna the currently circulating names.

The player front will see some changes as well. Another revolution or year zero seems inevitable. Previous seasons’ wholesale changes have not really always led to much but the 2026 calendar year form has necessitated another round of squad building. It remains to be seen if Allegri, or any possible future coach, will get the players for a workable formation and not be confined to using wingers as center forwards for example.

Speaking of formations and players it is a possibility that the week 36 loss to Atalanta was the last Leao start in a Milan jersey. He is almost certainly not starting this week 38 match versus Cagliari and could be sold in the summer. Gimenez and Nkunku seems destined for this week 38 start and question marks will hang over both and almost every other member of the squad, including Pulisic. To say that Pulisic (and Leao) have had disappointing seasons would be an understatement but perhaps one can claim – as Allegri has done – that both spent a portion of the season not being fully fit.

The midfield will see an early return for Modric. The Croatian fractured his cheekbone and was expected to remain out but will make the bench at least. In this mountain of reports it is not easy to tell who will start in midfield. Latest news is that Allegri has decided on a Saelemaekers, Fofana, Jashari, Rabiot, Bartesaghi five. Tomori, Gabbia, Pavlovic at the back with Maignan in goal is a far more settled squad choice.

Allegri is acting like he will be the coach next season. Modric is leaning towards staying and others like Rabiot, Bartesaghi, Gabbia and Maignan are (near) certainties. Pretty much all bets are off elsewhere in the squad but of course some like Tomori, Pavlovic and Ricci are very unlikely to be elsewhere in September.

Andrea Belotti could be leading Cagliari for this final matchday. The Rossoblu have little to play for in the standings. Fabio Pisacane’s men sit in 16th place and can move up a couple of spots if they win and other results go their way.

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Week 36 was nothing short of embarrassing. Atalanta took a 3-0 lead at the San Siro with very little emotion visible on the pitch. The tactics and formations and eventually the players themselves are on the verge of making this season a let down and a flop. The team now sits in fourth place tied with Roma and a mere two points ahead of Como in sixth place. Missing out on a top four Champions League spot is financially damaging but even more so it is a failure on all fronts. Protests against ownership, management, coaches and players are justified in that they all created this team very purposefully last summer. The mismanagement and various managerial chaos at the top filtered down to the transfer business and players but there is little doubt that the 23 man squad registered for the 2025-2026 season last September was very deliberate.

Back to this match and the weekend before it. Three yellow cards in the loss to Atalanta mean that Leao, Saelemaekers and Esputinan are suspended for this match. The latter two might not have been starters for this Genoa trip and Leao neither but in the case of the Portuguese all signs point to a summer sale. Whether the player himself or the coach using him in a “defensive” 3-5-2 the current season has been a very poor one for the winger and presumed center forward. The team might be a bit more predictable at the back and even midfield but who Allegri chooses to start up front is not really certain.

Maignan is of course in goal. Tomori back from a suspension is likely to start at the back with Gabbia and Pavlovic. Modric’s absence has shuffled the midfield and it is thought there will be further changes from the Atalanta match as well. Athekame, Fofana, Ricci, Rabiot and Bartesaghi are the likeliest for the middle. At this point it is pick any two of Pulisic, Gimenez, Nkunku and Fullkrug for the front. The two late goals versus Atalanta looked like progress but it remains to be seen if the near historic goal drought can recover in time to salvage a top four place.

Genoa, now full owners of Lorenzo Colombo, are safe from relegation with Daniele De Rossi having stabilized Il Grifone since arriving in November.

This match was initially set to be played at the usual 12:30CET early Sunday match, but was pushed forward to 12:00CET. The decision was made to play all matches with Champions League consequences at the same time so the Rome derby was moved to this time slot. However the Italian Open tennis tournament is on May 17th and a potential clash with the final of the tournament is being avoided by finishing week 37 matches a bit earlier.

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The season has gone south. Milan is in a crisis mode with all manners of reports and rumours of change. Fan protests have reached a new level of anger with a Furlani dismissal petition at change.org getting over 44,000 signatures as of this writing. Besides the common attitude towards Gerry Cardinale’s ownership the opinion has shifted against everyone. Tare, Allegri and down the squad. Many more would now agree that the team needs another revolution, as the term that is often used. Allegri’s style is well known, the players and formations have handicapped the offense with a goal scoring production that threatens to bring down the coach’s and the teams Champions League qualification objective. This would of course have many financial and sporting consequences. Rumours are plentiful and they involve replacements for Tare (Atalanta’s Tony D’Amico) and Allegri (the likes of Bologna’s Vincenzo Italiano, not for the first time linked to Milan).

Another year zero may be on the horizon and with Como and Juventus winning their week 36 matches the possibility of changes have only increased. As has the need to win the remaining three fixtures.

The team is set to look differently for this very crucial match. Modric’s absence seemed to have handed Jashari a starting place but that changed midweek with Ricci the favorite for the middle. Fofana is apparently dropped after being an option for his own and the middle of the five’s spot vacated by the Croatian. Saelemaekers, Loftus-Cheek, Ricci, Rabiot and Bartesaghi are the likely starters. Tomori’s red in the Sassuolo match added another dimension for critiscm towards the English defender and his suspension means De Winter will start with Gabbia and Pavlovic.

The front two in this 3-5-2 has been the greatest contentious issue for Milan. Milan’s thin squad with effectively two true center forwards (Fullkrug and Gimenez) is probably the biggest story of this, now in crisis, season. The coach’s and management’s insistence on this – and sometimes the injury situation – have seen Milan play with wingers like Leao as center forwards. With little creativity in many starting 11s the front two have been faced with the need to do it all themselves and the team relying on midfielders advancing deep into the opposition half. It is a tactic that is only effective sporadically and needs midfielders and defenders to run through and break opposition blocks.

For this match it was thought that Pulisic and Gimenez will form the front duo but late reports claim that the American is not fully fit and the much criticized Leao could start. Many pundits have the Portuguese leaving Milan this summer. It would be both a case of unrealized potential and tactical failings if this were to happen.

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