Five key quotes from Fonseca’s first press conference as Milan coach

Paulo Fonseca held his first press conference today as the new Milan coach, so Football Italia has identified the top five quotes from the Portuguese presser.

Fonseca’s era in Milan officially started today when the Portuguese boss held his first press conference at the club’s headquarters before going to Milanello with his staff members to take charge of the first training session.

Fonseca touched on several issues during his meeting with the media in the morning, including the next centre forward, who he called “a priority”. He said that he and the club are looking for a striker who can have a strong impact in the final third and somebody accustomed to playing with little space in the final 30 meters.

The ex-Roma boss also spoke about the identity he wants to give to the team, saying that he wants to dominate proceedings and see a team that does not leave time to think to its opponents.

Last but not least, he revealed that he would sleep at Milanello in the first few weeks, waiting for his family to join him in Milan.

Here are Football Italia’s five key quotes from Fonseca’s first press conference as the new Milan coach.

WIN TITLES – “First, I am grateful for how I was welcomed these days. I want to thank the club for trusting me and my job. I am highly motivated and confident of doing a great job here. I join a club that want to win. I’ve just visited the museum, I’ve seen Milan’s history and I have great ambition to be part of this history. Zlatan has shown me the space for a new trophy. I want to be part of this history and I am ready to start. I can’t wait to start.

IDENTITY – “Milan are a club with a history of attacking football, and we want to dominate proceedings. That’s what I want to build here: a reactive, attacking-minded team that does not let others think and plays well. I want to win, but the playing style is important, so I want to make the fans proud. I think this is important: build a team with a strong identity.”

NEW STRIKER – “It depends on the players we have and the structure we want to use. At Lille, I even played without strikers. I believe we need a different striker in different parts of the pitch. It depends on the strikers’ skill sets. What we know is that we want to play in the last 30 meters. So we need a player who is able to play without much space in the last 30 meters.”

SLEEP AT MILANELLO – “It’s very simple. It’s time to work hard for me. We don’t have a lot of time available. My family is not here. Normally, I work many hours, so it’s easier if I stay at Milanello. The staff member and I can work longer, so it’s more practical for me to live in Milanello right now.”

LONG-TERM PROJECT – “Cardinale told me an important thing, the thing I liked the most. Milan don’t only want to win today, but also tomorrow. There is an important project for the future. This is important.”