Milan: Gerry Cardinale’s decision following the boos at San Siro
The home loss to Benfica at San Siro in front of 65,000 spectators—and the resulting boos from many of them—will not, for now, have any impact on Amorim’s future as Milan’s coach.
The Rossoneri owner, Gerry Cardinale—who watched the match from New York while awaiting his return to Italy to attend the league match against Lecce—has in fact reaffirmed his confidence in the coach he selected this summer, especially in light of his multi-year contract, which runs through June 30, 2029, with an option to extend to 2030, and a salary of between 4 and 5 million per season.
Already against Lecce, before the long three-week break for international duty, the team will need to get back to winning ways, with key players like Adrien Rabiot and Christian Pulisic likely to return to the starting lineup. The situation with Modric, however, remains unclear; he has been sidelined following a couple of disappointing performances that have sparked a real controversy, from a tactical standpoint and beyond.
Meanwhile, Lecce has secured Tiago Gabriel. The Salento-based club has extended its contract with the Portuguese defender through 2030—a deal already confirmed during the last summer transfer window despite interest from several other clubs. Milan had shown concrete interest in the center back, born in 2004, but did not come close to meeting the demands of President Saverio Sticchi Damiani. Juventus and Roma had also gathered information, albeit with less enthusiasm.
To let one of its most valuable talents leave, Lecce had set a valuation of 30 million euros, a figure that had effectively cooled any potential negotiations. Tiago Gabriel thus remained under Di Francesco’s guidance, despite changing agents in July and subsequently joining Jorge Mendes’ agency. The transfer market, however, could soon come knocking on the Giallorossi’s door again. As early as January—or at the end of the season—some major club could make another bid for the Portuguese player. The contract extension through 2030, however, allows Lecce to face any new bids from a position of greater strength, without having to part with the player and with even greater bargaining power.
Confirming just how much Milan really wanted him, in the final hours of the summer transfer window the Rossoneri made a decisive push, but were unable to bridge the gap with Lecce. According to reports at the close of the transfer window, the club based on Via Aldo Rossi had not gone beyond 20 million euros, while Lecce had not lowered its asking price.
