AC Milan fans were left worried about the future of club legend Paolo Maldini before he announced on Thursday his two-year contract renewal as technical director. After all, Maldini and his work alongside Frederic ‘Ricky’ Massara was one of the reasons for the recent success as the club won the Scudetto for the first time since 2011.
New ownership arrived in the last days of May, with the American private investment firm RedBird Capital signing a preliminary agreement to purchase the 19-time Serie A champions. Gerry Cardinale, the firm’s founder, took charge as he is putting his imprint on multiple aspects of AC Milan. The official announcement arrived at the beginning of June and the transition for new ownership will take place over the summer, with an expected closing of no later than September 2022.
This change at the top of the club slowed contract talks for both Maldini and Massara which expired on Thursday (June 30). At first, the ownership change seemed to be only a formality regarding their futures, but once we creeped closer to the last days of June, no contracts were signed yet.
Fans began to worry more and more while Maldini continued to work on his transfer strategies. Sven Botman, who was followed by the club since months, decided to not wait anymore and joined Newcastle. Meanwhile, AC Milan’s target Renato Sanches is getting closer to PSG.
Maldini himself on Thursday announced his contract renewal the same day his old agreement was supposed to end. Massara is also staying put.
“We are certainly happy to remain. We are also happy to be planning for a victorious future. What Milan will it look like? Let’s see. There is time,” he said briefly to the journalists who were waiting for him outside AC Milan HQ.
Maldini is now set to stay for the next two years and it’s now time for him and Massara to get back to work to improve the current roster. AC Milan fans are now breathing a sigh of relief and see the future with hope. Maldini staying at the club was the best news they could receive this month.
