Why Mirabelli is largely to blame for AC Milan’s current woes

It is increasingly hard to believe that, just a few months ago, AC Milan technical director Massimiliano Mirabelli was being lauded as one of the best transfer market gurus in the business.

Now, 18 games into the league season, the former Inter chief scout is taking flak from Rossoneri fans who blame him for their team’s abysmally poor form.

Last summer’s transfer window was supposed to be the breaking of a new dawn at Casa Milan; an era of intelligent spending on players and transparency with the fans. Given how turbulent the last few months have been both on and off the pitch, it is clear that no tangible signs of progress have materialised.

Mirabelli was hailed as a genius after signing the likes of Leonardo Bonucci, Franck Kessié, Lucas Biglia and André Silva, who were all supposed to catapult the club back to the upper echelons of Serie A with UEFA Champions League qualification the minimum requirement.

Given the fact the team’s form has deteriorated even further since Vincenzo Montella was dismissed in late November, the fans’ anger is now being directed towards the new ownership. Mirabelli’s decision to sign no less than 11 new first team players is under intense scrutiny, with the vast majority of those arrivals failing to live up to hype.

The Diavolo’s dramatic Coppa Italia victory against Inter will buy him and his bosses some time, but in no sense does one win vindicate their decision-making since taking over at the club.

Gennaro Gattuso may well do a solid enough job from now until the end of the campaign and comfortably secure a Europa League berth for next season. However, he should not be handed the reigns beyond May.

Come the end of the season, Mirabelli’s position will be under intense scrutiny once again. Forgetting the potentially disastrous financial consequences of failing to qualify for the Champions League yet again, there is a sense that it will be then or never for the entire project.

He must get it right this time, or his own professional reputation could very well go up in smoke too.

 

Written by Jordan Russell

Follow Jordan on Twitter @JordRuss96 

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