Gerry Cardinale has opened up about his first year and a half as the owner of AC Milan in a recent interview. He also shut down the recent takeover rumours, also depressing his support for Stefano Pioli who has been doing ‘a good job’.
Cardinale completed the takeover of AC Milan from Elliott Management in August of 2022, having agreed to pay €1.2bn for the club. The first season was a success financially, with the Rossoneri registering a profit, but there was great disappointment on the pitch still.
Speaking to Corriere della Sera this morning, Cardinale shared his thoughts on Milan’s current season and the work of Pioli. He was also asked about the recent sale rumours, shutting them down and assuring that he will stay for a long time.
On the win against Rennes…
“I’m very satisfied with what I saw, matches like this give the players a lot of confidence, it was needed. Despite the many new signings, the group is making progress.”
On his many visits to the Gulf area…
“I have an office in Dubai, one in Abu Dhabi and I’m opening one in Riyadh. RedBird has many interests in these countries.”
On the sale rumours…
“I want to be categorical: it is completely false. I’m here to stay for the long haul, I have a job to do. I’m committed to bringing Milan back to the top of Serie A and Europe and I will not stop before achieving these results. And when we have reached them, I will want to reach them again.
“I feel sorry for the fans, because they are led to believe that instability exists. However, I’m not letting myself be distracted and I’m focused on things to do.
On Pioli…
“We have changed a lot and it takes time to create a cohesive team. However, we are growing, close to second place, and credit for this must be given to the players, staff and coach.
“I will be satisfied when we win the Champions League. But not being happy at a certain stage doesn’t necessarily translate into firing the manager. I believe that Pioli is doing a good job in a difficult situation, with a very renewed team, I don’t give in to the temptation to fire someone just to change something.
“I say: the season is still long, anything can happen, we’ll see. We need to improve in many things, with injuries for example. Everyone, starting with me, needs to do a better job. But I’m not quitting, I’ll be here for a long time. Nobody wants to win more than me.”
On the vendor loan from Elliott…
“I’m the one who wanted it, because Elliott did a great job. Nobody put a gun to my head. You can disagree with my strategies, but don’t invent stuff about them. I’m a corporate finance expert, so it’s baseless to assume that I’m experiencing difficulties 18 months after making these choices.
“It would be better to stimulate debates on how to bring Serie A back to being a reference league, or on the importance of modern stadiums for clubs.”
On the stadium…
“I’m very satisfied with the progress we are making, definitely a lot in 18 months, to build the first new stadium in Italy since 2011, with 70,000 seats. Reconsider San Siro? I don’t think so at this point, but every option deserves attention.”
The stadium will be a very important piece of the puzzle for Cardinale as Milan’s brand value continues to grow. And with a new stadium, the Rossoneri will also be able to rely on a lot more revenue every year, which will enable them to spend more.
‘i want to bring Milan back to top of champions league, serie A blablablah’… and proceeds to sell decent players and sign unknown gamble players.
When your actions doesn’t match up with your words, you loose your respect no matter what
yeah only idiots like you think Tonali is worth 80m, he has been replaced and we arent missing him at all, stop whining
It’s possible to believe in Cardinale’s approach in selling players when a big enough bid comes can also translate to winning long-term (and even so, a well run football club economically is important for continuity) and also believe tonali is worth 80m and we miss him a little bit.
Tonali’s presence as a fast, physical midfielder who controls the flow of the game is missed, at least in my opinion, and I think over the summer we need a #6 or defensive-minded midfielder, I’ve seen a few comments re Eletu in primavera being a good up and comer of someone who could potentially be this type of player?
That, a striker and if kjaer leaves, a defender, is key for us moving forward.
@Boulden, it’s third time you are calling me with names.
Why don’t we meet face-to-face and you call me idiot to my face?
I don’t know if you are underage kid or not but I will teach you some manner.
Contact me: manhattan701 gmail.com
Hahahaha
Don’t waste your time. 90% of people here are keyboard warriors. Won’t do shyte if they see u in person. It’s so easy to probe and annoy people over the net
Well you guys have hated him from the get-go so it doesn’t really matter what he says, you won’t believe him.
As of today, the club has yet to win a single title under his rule, and he did manage to get rid of some of the most beloved and respected figures in the club (Maldini) and his transfer compaign, while it was successful in many aspects, seems to highlight a bigger interest in revenues rather than in creating a competitive team.
Now don’t get me wrong, I DO want him to succeed in elevating the club’s presence in Europe and eventually winning the UCL, but until we manage to win big titles, all his talks will remain just talks.
That is untrue. He started to get under fire when Maldini asked for investment in his infamous interview. Fans started to understand that the guy is cheap. Then, he fired a competent management (if you consider wins and trophies as more important to a football club than selling players) and sold a fan favorite – number 1 in jersey sales Tonali. The last mercato was also erratic and the beginning of the season has been terrible. So I guess the people who don’t like him, including myself, have at least a few reasons to think so.