It was announced near the end of the 23/24 season that Stefano Pioli would part ways with AC Milan after five years at the club, which included guiding them to a Champions League semi-final and their first Scudetto in 10 years. However, the performances had undoubtedly gone downhill, especially since their title win. The most challenging moment was last season's loss to fierce rivals Inter in the derby, handing them their 20th Scudetto.
Paulo Fonseca has now taken over the reins of this Italian giant. Can he revive the Rossoneri, take them back to being a competitive club, and guide them to more silverware?
Who Is Paulo Fonseca?
Paulo Fonseca is a former central defender whose career saw him play in different corners of Portugal, including heavyweights Porto. However, he did not play a single first-team game during his three years at the club.
Paulo's coaching & managerial career began in the youth sector of the last club he played for, Estrela Amadora, which saw the start of an 11-year spell coaching in Portugal, most notably taking Pinhalnovense to the quarter-finals of the Taca de Portuguese in back to back seasons in 2009-10 and 2010-11 and in 2011-12 Fonseca was appointed at Aves which saw him take them to third place and miss out on promotion.
The following seasons saw him take charge of Pacos de Ferreira in two separate spells, aiding the club to Champions League qualification playoffs for the first time in the club's history in his first season in charge. In the league, they only lost to champions Porto and runners-up Benfica, including defeat in the Portuguese Cup's semi-finals.
Whilst Fonseca had been relatively successful up to this point, his stint in charge of Porto was more difficult, and after a set of difficult results, he was dismissed by the club, which then briefly saw him return to Pacos and then, for the following season, took over Braga leading them to 4th position whilst also leading them to domestic cup glory for the first time in 50 years after a penalty shootout victory over Porto and in the Europa League they reached the final eight.
Fonseca eventually moved outside of Portugal, landing the job at Shakhtar Donetsk. During his spell there, he won the double in all three seasons and was named the league's best coach for the 2016-17 season.
In 2019, he joined AS Roma, leading the side to a fifth-place finish and the semi-finals of the Europa League. However, he announced his departure in May 2021 and eventually joined Lille in Ligue 1 and after just missing out on Champions League qualification in his second season; he agreed to leave the club by mutual consent in June 2024.
Can Paulo Fonseca Change The Sour Atmosphere?
Paulo's arrival in Milan gained a mixed response from the club's fan base, but it is clear what the club's intended vision was rather than going for a more established name such as the likes of Antonio Conte or Roberto De Zerbi who were also available around the same time as Paulo Fonseca, they have decided to take on someone that will continue their ongoing project instead of drastically changing their philosophy.
However, his first week at the club has a dark cloud tainting it as AC Milan are yet to make a signing during this summer transfer window, with it looking like Bologna's Joshua Zirkee, whose transfer to Milan seemed set in stone, now appears to have been tempted by Manchester United and would have been a great signing with Oliver Giroud departing for Los Angeles.
This tense atmosphere between the board and specific sectors of the supporters, especially the ultras in the "Curva Sud" who oppose the ownership of AC Milan. They began to protest near the end of the 23/24 season, believing that their club's ownership was partly to blame for the club's overall performance with rivals improving and continuously moving forward and Inter beating Milan in the derby to win the title was certainly the final nail in the coffin.
Whilst it is only Fonseca's first week at the club, it is vital that he has to turn around the trajectory of the club, and having managed in the opposite dugout with Roma, he understands what the football club means to the fans and will want to make sure he keeps them on his side and with this will need to make sure that similar upcoming transfers are firmly grasped with both hands and ensure that AC Milan can challenge for domestic and European success again this season.
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