Milan director Frederic Massara did not mention his contract, but discussed why the club ‘had to make do’ with financial limitations and it helped them win the Scudetto as ‘a collective.’
He was present at the opening of the Italian transfer market, which this summer is in the seaside resort of Rimini, and spoke on stage at the event after a chat and glass of prosecco with Roma director Tiago Pinto.
The elephant in the room was the fact Massara and his boss Paolo Maldini have still not signed their contracts with Milan, with current deals set to expire at midnight tonight, but the fact he was present suggests they remain optimistic.
They created a team capable of winning the Serie A title despite a very limited transfer budget and having lost star man Gianluigi Donnarumma as a free agent.
“The Scudetto was a collective achievement, as there were moments of difficulty, but everyone was involved and gave their contribution, even those who didn’t play that much,” said Massara.
“Stefano Pioli deserves credit for an extraordinary job and all the Milan fans owe him their thanks.”
Milan went against the grain last summer and again this year, refusing to be pushed into paying wages above what they consider to be the fair level, even if that means losing players as free agents such as Donnarumma, Franck Kessie and Alessio Romagnoli.
“When the new owners took over, there was a strategy based on fixing the economic situation, so we had to rediscover a competitive edge while keeping an eye on sustainability.
“We had to make do. This meant difficult choices, delicate ones, but we are happy to have found an extraordinary goalkeeper like Mike Maignan who will write history at Milan.
“The Bosman ruling changed football, but at a certain stage the money that clubs didn’t pay in a transfer fee ended up going to the player or his agent instead. It was a gradual shift and certain costs are no longer sustainable.”
#Massara: ‘Lo #scudetto è arrivato in modo collettivo. #Donnarumma? #Maignan farà la storia del #Milan‘ https://t.co/ol87ftFIeF
— calciomercato.com (@cmdotcom) June 30, 2022