Pioli: Milan accelerate hunt for replacement after derby loss to Inter

Milan owner Gerry Cardinale, advisor Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the club’s directors have started to speed up in their hunt for a new head coach.

The Rossoneri were unable to avoid their worst nightmare in the Derby della Madonnina on Monday evening, suffering a 2-1 loss that allowed Inter to secure their 20^th Scudetto, earning them their second star ahead of their intercity rivals.

Pioli has been under pressure at Milan for a while now and his fate was seemingly sealed by the club’s Europa League quarter-final exit at the hands of Roma, with the derby defeat only further confirming the need for a fresh start in the summer.

Milan look for post Pioli

Daniele Longo of Calciomercato.com details how Milan owner Cardinale met with Ibrahimovic, Giorgio Furlani and Geoffrey Moncada on Monday to start discussing the options to replace Pioli, conversations that’ll heat up over the coming days.

The Rossoneri want to reduce the shortlist to two or three options by the end of next week, aware that a coach’s input is needed in the upcoming summer transfer window. Ibrahimovic is keen to bring a winning coach to Milan, wanting to immediately start a new cycle.

Options for now include Xavi, Mark van Bommel, Paulo Fonseca and Sergio Conceicao, with Thiago Motta looking less likely considering his verbal agreement with Juventus.