Milan Transfer Market: A Very Heavy Cloud Already Hovers Over Ruben Amorim: “Call Him Right Away”

In the wake of the loss to Benfica, the atmosphere surrounding Milan is in turmoil: the positive signs shown in the first two official matches of the season against Torino and Venezia—teams that are, in any case, far from the top of the league—have been wiped out by largely poor performances against Juventus and Lazio in Serie A (a 1-1 draw against the Old Lady, a 2-2 comeback against the Biancocelesti), in addition to the 0-2 loss at San Siro against the Eagles of Lisbon, where the Rossoneri were lackluster throughout the entire 90 minutes.

Inevitably, coach Ruben Amorim is under fire, as his lineup choices against the Portuguese club backfired. As is often the case, social media is the main battleground; Rossoneri fans are showing no mercy and are calling for one name above all others, after spotting him in the stands at the “Meazza” on Wednesday night: Antonio Conte, who was “caught” on camera in the stands.

Despite his storied past at Juventus (including as a player) and Inter, Conte is well-liked by many Rossoneri fans, who seized on the images of him at San Siro to send a message to the club’s management. “Call him right away—we need someone like him,” wrote one user on Instagram, receiving hundreds of likes and supportive comments—a sign of widespread discontent among Rossoneri fans regarding the current situation.

Conte is currently a free agent, following his mutually agreed-upon termination of his contract with Napoli, confirmed in early June. His name was among those considered by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) to take the helm (or, in his case, return to the helm) of the national team, though the summer roller-coaster of developments at the FIGC led to another return to the Azzurri bench: that of Roberto Mancini.

In his long coaching career, Antonio Conte has taken over midseason only three times: at Bari in January 2008, at Atalanta in September 2009, and at Tottenham in November 2021 (this statistic does not include his return to the Arezzo bench in 2007 following his initial dismissal). The Salento-born coach has often reiterated his preference for projects he can take on from the start of summer training, but it cannot be ruled out that his outlook might change—even quickly.