Milan to build around Conceicao: Why they believe in him and how transfer plans change

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SempreMilan

·9 Januari 2025

Milan to build around Conceicao: Why they believe in him and how transfer plans change

Something quite remarkable happened on Monday night in Saudi Arabia, as an AC Milan coach won a trophy after just two games in charge.

For many, Conceicao was the man that Milan should have gone for in the summer when the decision was made to move on from Stefano Pioli. He was a prolific winner in his time at Porto, with 11 trophies in seven seasons including three league titles.

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Yet, the managerial triumvirate of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Giorgio Furlani and Geoffrey Moncada took a couple of rolls of the dice. They seemed to settle on Julen Lopetegui before fan protests kiboshed that, and then – instead of turning to Conceicao or even Antonio Conte – they went for Paulo Fonseca.

Fonseca’s tenure is hard to condense into one passage given the rollercoaster ride that the 200 days provided. The Portuguese departed after just 24 games in charge, with Milan eighth in the league and just about to head to the Middle East for the Supercoppa Italiana.

Step forward Conceicao: flirted with in the summer and eventually courted months later. Just seven days into his reign he was lifting the club’s 50th trophy into the Riyadh sky, and while they might not have been convinced in the summer, the Milan leadership certainly are now.

The (second) chosen one

Conceicao in less than a week has turned Milan around, making it a machine that is not perfect but certainly effective. The Rossoneri under the guidance of the Porto legend obtained two victories against the two main rivals – Juventus and Inter – while coming from behind in both.

In a few days Conceicao won another derby, which is not a given given the precedents of recent years, and above all lifted a trophy. The Supercoppa is certainly not on par with the Scudetto and Champions League but it is still silverware to place proudly into the cabinet.

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The last to do so at Milan was Vincenzo Montella in 2016, a coach who – apart from that triumph in Qatar 18 games into his tenure – didn’t do much else. Thus, winning the Super Cup might therefore not be enough to guarantee Conceicao a stay beyond June, especially with the break clause in his deal.

The real mission for the 50-year-old is to secure a spot in the Champions League places, a target that is not easy to achieve given the current distance from fourth place. Logical projections suggest that around 45 points are needed to try and get in amongst the battle for those places.

Despite the victory in the ‘bubble’ of Riyadh, Conceicao has not yet had the opportunity to demonstrate anything, because the league does not give immediate satisfaction but is a path in which enthusiasm must be built and maintained even if the end is still far away.

From this point of view, he is certainly the most suitable man to take the reins. Unlike Fonseca but like Pioli, Sergio is a man who seems to have an innate ability to motivate the team both in the dressing room and in front of the media, striking the right chords.

At the same time, Milan have shown that they are made up of players who, if well-motivated, know how to keep enthusiasm alive even in the long term. We all witnessed the glorious Scudetto under Pioli and the excellent results achieved in the Champions League the following year, two ‘sporting miracles’ that stars like Rafael Leao and Theo Hernandez played a big part in.

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Conceicao’s qualities do not end there. The true talent of the new Milan coach can be summed up in a phrase he himself said at the end of Monday’s final: “At half-time, the coach has to intervene and fix things, that’s why they pay me.”

It was precisely the coach’s choices during the game that allowed Milan to bring the trophy home on the plane. The Portuguese, who started the match along the lines of Fonseca’s Milan in terms of system, dared to change the team’s formation at least twice in the second half. Each change, made at the right time, achieved exactly what it was meant to.

Reading different moments within a game and being proactive rather than reactive is a quality that Fonseca lacked and that Conceicao instead has. It is an ‘Ancelottian’ gift that Sergio has been able to show admirably in the first two games, despite working with the squad for just a few training sessions.

With the entry of Leao, for example, Milan broke the game open. His first dribble won the free-kick that Theo despatched with aplomb to halve the deficit and spark belief that might have previously evaporated given the sour taste of recent derbies.

By bringing Tammy Abraham and Ruben Loftus-Cheek on, Conceicao wanted to send a clear message: go out and win. The victory then arrived even though Inter also had their chances to steal it, with daring moves like Christian Pulisic dropping into midfield and Loftus-Cheek even further back.

A coach has to do that, he has to know how to read and manage the moment. Sometimes the time is right to push the boat out, something Fonseca perhaps didn’t do enough (see the 0-0 draws with Juventus and Genoa at home), and the rewards can be great. After all, that’s what he gets paid for.

Planning for the future

It might be exaggerative to say that Conceicao has already entered the hearts of everyone attached to Milan, but he has certainly entered the minds of the management. In essence, he has already earned the right to speak with the directors and have input on decisions.

In fact, as our colleagues at SempreMilan.it have learned, the new manager has expressly asked his superiors for two or three signings in the January market, to strengthen as many positions as possible within the squad.

The most pressing issue

The department that needs the most work is the midfield, which currently consists of two regulars in Tijjani Reijnders and Youssouf Fofana, but lacks reliable deputies. Ismael Bennacer is still far from finding his best form, while Loftus-Cheek and Yunus Musah are good substitutes but not very suitable for a starting role.

In particular, Conceicao has asked Moncada and his associates to buy a playmaker capable of dictating the pace, a sort of Bennacer replica (the best version of) in short. The hottest name in this sense is Reda Belahyane of Verona, who has been linked since the summer.

The directors have now made concrete steps forward having met part of the player’s entourage. The aim is to close a deal for the Moroccan midfielder for a figure around €10m, and Belahyane has already gained the approval of Conceicao.

An agreement with Verona is still missing – they are asking for no less than €15m to sell. Negotiations have begun, but the regista role is not the only area of the pitch that Milan’s new coach would like to strengthen in January.

Bolstering the flanks

Considering the probable sale of Noah Okafor to RB Leipzig, Milan are looking for a versatile winger. The hottest name is Marcus Rashford given his brother’s presence at Casa Milan in the last few hours, though it is far from advanced.

The operation to bring the Englishman to Milan remains complicated because of the salary (£15m per year) that the Rossonero do not intend to guarantee him. In addition, they are pushing for a loan with an option to buy deal.

However, Manchester United’s reluctance to contribute significantly to Rashford’s salary could benefit their competitors, such as Como and Juventus, who currently have no internally-imposed wage restrictions like Milan do at present.

The alternative that is gaining more and more momentum is someone that Conceicao knows well: Francisco Trincao. The Sporting CP winger has a contract expiring in 2026 and therefore an affordable price tag of around €20-25m, a figure that Milan are willing to pay.

Unlike Rashford, Trincao also has a salary that is much more within reach (just over €2m net per year). Although he does not enjoy the same media attention as Rashford, Trincao is considered a more than adequate alternative given he has 18 goal contributions in 29 appearances this season.

The extra coup

Although there has been much talk about the possible arrival of Pepe, his former attacking midfielder at Porto, it seems that Milan are moving on other profiles to strengthen the spot behind the centre-forward.

The name that has come back into fashion in the past few hours is Arda Guler, a Turkish talent who picked Real Madrid over Milan when he went there in January. Given he is only 19 years of age getting regular game time is important, and he is not getting that with Los Blancos.

Milan intend to play on Madrid’s dilemma and relations between the two clubs are excellent. The management are reportedly working on a two-year dry loan along the lines of what was done with Brahim Diaz between 2020 and 2023.

The negotiation has not yet entered into full swing but it is not excluded that important news in this sense could arrive before the end of January. What may be problematic is inserting a clause to make Güler’s stay permanent, given how much they value his talent.

The Theo turn

One of the first moves directly linked to Conceicao’s arrival at Milan concerns the negotiations for the renewal of Theo Hernandez. The Rossoneri have reportedly made a new offer to the French full-back who is now one step away from signing, as per Calciomercato.com.

The new contract would extend the deadline to 2029, significantly raising the salary received by the former Real Madrid man to €6-6.5m net per season including bonuses, putting him just behind Rafael Leao’s €7m/yr.

It is a decision that obviously did not come about solely in the past few days following the goal and assist he got in the Supercoppa final, but sometimes all it takes is a reminder of the high levels he is capable of to create a jolt.

For both Mike Maignan – who has also agreed a deal in principle – and Theo, the extension does not represent a guarantee regarding their permanence. However, the two extensions will give the Diavolo all the leverage if teams do come in.