Milan Poised to Sack Coach Fonseca and Hire Conceiçao

Milan had already decided to fire Paulo Fonseca and appoint Sergio Conceiçao before the Roma match. The decent performance wasn’t enough to change their mind. Despite the leaks, they waited until the boss held his post-game press conference to relay the decision.

The manager confirmed it to Sky while leaving San Siro.

According to La Gazzetta della Sport, Milan were on the verge of giving Fonseca the ax twice, before the Derby and ahead of the recent Verona game. Two victories kept him on the bench. The brass started seriously leaning in such a direction after the loss against Atalanta and the draw with Genoa.

The final straw was a tense technical meeting, first with the squad and then with the officials, on Sunday. The Rossoneri reached out to Conceiçao, whom they already targeted last summer, to inquire about whether he was keen on taking over. Massimiliano Allegri and Maurizio Sarri were weighed but not chosen.

The former Lille and Roma manager lasted 200 days at San Siro. He tallied 12 victories, 6 draws, and 6 losses. The highlights were the triumphs over Inter and Real Madrid, but their paltry position in the Serie A standings did him in. The skirmishes with Rafael Leao and Theo Hernandez contributed.

Our Take on Milan and Fonseca
The grounds for the decision were there for a while, but the timing was bizarre. It’s a miracle they even showed up against Milan with a dead man walking in the dugout. The Rossoneri desperately need a seasoned exec to handle matters with more tact and savviness.