AC Milan have announced the appointment of Zlatan Ibrahimovic as senior advisor but Fabio Capello is not very excited by his return.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has returned to AC Milan after months of speculation. After two spells as a striker for the Rossoneri, it’s time for the Swedish giant to prove himself in an executive role. The Italian have announced that Zlatan Ibrahimovic will serve as Senior Advisor to AC Milan Ownership, more precisely to Gerry Cardinale.
Ibra will collaborate with RedBird in supporting the firm’s existing investment portfolio across sports, media and entertainment. It is not yet clear how much decision making power Ibrahimovic will have but according to the club’s announcement Zlatan will play an active role across the Club’s sporting and business operations.
Fans hope that the former centre forward will be able to shake AC Milan and inject some much needed enthusiasm after the recent consecutive disappointments in Serie A and Champions League. However, not everyone is impressed by Zlatan’s return. AC Milan legend, Fabio Capello,
“Ibrahimovic is an intelligent man, he can play a decisive role in certain moments. When he arrived as a player he was in the locker room, will he now be in the locker room again? Can he say something? Will he be able to help Pioli? It could also be a negative move for Pioli if he loses his leadership status. On the other hand, he could stimulate players and staff“, says Capello.
The former AC Milan coach then added an important consideration: “Does the club’s intervention serve to fill the absence of figures like Maldini and Massara? This is the question. He can play this role, however he will have to do some apprenticeship. He cannot enter immediately, he must do so carefully and with the support of the club.“
Fabio Capello’s first concern is that Ibrahimovic will delegitmise the figure of Stefano Pioli. If the coach no longer is the central figure of the project then he starts to lose the grip on his players. The second doubt of Capello is Ibrahimovic’s lack of expertise and the fact that he will not be a regular presence at Milanello but just someone who pays a visit once in a while and works more for RedBird rather than for AC Milan.
