Milan’s joint-CEO Adriano Galliani denies that Coach Filippo Inzaghi has been told he must take the side to the Champions League this season.
It has been reported that the Coach will be dismissed should the Rossoneri fail to qualify for Europe’s top club competition this season, with Vincenzo Montella touted as a possible replacement.
However, at a Press event to present the club’s various new signings, Galliani insisted there had been no such declaration.
Milan’s joint-CEO Adriano Galliani denies that Coach Filippo Inzaghi has been told he must take the side to the Champions League this season.
It has been reported that the Coach will be dismissed should the Rossoneri fail to qualify for Europe’s top club competition this season, with Vincenzo Montella touted as a possible replacement.
However, at a Press event to present the club’s various new signings, Galliani insisted there had been no such declaration.
“The President [Silvio Berlusconi] called Inzaghi and myself after he read the Press reports,” the director explained.
“What was written was the opposite of what he thinks. He said that Pippo will get experience, none of us has ever said that he won’t stay.
“Inzaghi has a contract for next year, and there are no ultimatums. There are 17 games left, we’ll try do well, I still don’t understand this team.
“We started well, in mid-December we were level on points with Napoli. We played a great game at Roma, we played well against Real Madrid and everyone was convinced we’re growing.
“I don’t understand what happened in January. Milan, coming back from Dubai, on the back of those results, look at the fixtures with Sassuolo, Torino and Atalanta take one point.
“There are things we don’t understand and I can’t give an explanation.”
Galliani then discussed the new signings, and reveals that Adel Taarabt wanted to rejoin the club.
“I still think we have a good squad, and it’s hard to say how far we can go. Everyone who came in was needed in the club, they’re players we looked at and then got.
“[Luca] Antonelli follows his father, who came from Monza to Milan in 1977. Luca is back in his rightful home.
“My visit to Rome for Destro? That should give you an idea of how much we wanted him. We wanted him in the summer, but my friend [Roma director Walter] Sabatini’s asking price was a little too high.
“After the meeting in the afternoon, Mattia said yes in the morning.
“I think that strikers are measured in goals, and I realised that he had 18 goals in 36 games for Roma. All the scouting reports on him were good.
“We tried to get him in the summer, we succeeded in the winter. He’s good technically, has good build up play and an average of a goal every other game.
“We were looking for a striker, and here he is.
“As for Bocchetti, we tried to get him when he was at Genoa, but he went to Rubin [Kazan].
“Suso we wanted when he was in the Spanish youth teams. I remember when he went to Liverpool, Real [Madrid] wanted him too.
“He’s a guy who is at the beginning of his career, and he was part of a group of lads who are now La Liga starters. We think he can become a top player.
“As for Taarabt, he’s not back because we have so many wingers. We have [Keisuke] Honda, [Jeremy] Menez, [Stephan] El Shaarawy, Suso, [Alessio] Cerci and [Giacomo] Bonaventura.
“They’re all wingers, but at most two can play. Adel wanted to come, but I repeat, we have a lot of players in that role.”