- Paulo Fonseca is fired with Milan fourteen points behind leaders Atalanta in Serie A
- The club announces his departure with a brutally short statement
- LISTEN NOW: It all begins! New formation, some new faces, but the optimism is gone at Old Trafford
Milan have fired Paulo Fonseca, releasing an unsentimental brief statement on Monday to end the head coach’s six-month reign.
Milan drew 1-1 with Roma on Sunday evening, leaving them eighth in Serie A (a whopping fourteen points behind first-place Atalanta) and eight points off the Champions League spot.
That turned out to be the last straw for the American investment group RedBird Capital, which bought the club in August and immediately cut ties with their Portuguese manager the next morning.
The club’s full statement, consisting of 32 words, read: ‘AC Milan announces that Paulo Fonseca has been relieved of his duties as head coach of the men’s first team.
‘The Club would like to express its gratitude to Paulo for his great professionalism and wishes him all the best in his future endeavours.’
Paulo Fonseca’s reign as Milan manager ended after just six months in charge of the club
Milan’s players trudge off after a 1-1 draw with Roma on Sunday left their boss to his fate
Former Porto boss Sergio Conceicao is the hot favorite to become Milan’s next manager
And in the same fast-paced spirit, they have wasted no time in identifying a replacement for Fonseca with another Portuguese on their radar – according to The Athletics.
Sergio Conceicao is reportedly on the verge of being announced as Milan’s new manager.
The former Porto coach has been without a job since leaving the Portuguese team last summer.
In the 50-year-old’s seven years in charge of Porto, he won 11 trophies, including three league titles.
Conceicao has since been linked with a number of jobs, including the post at West Ham before Julen Lopetegui saved his job with a win against Wolves on December 9.
But Milan are on the verge of stepping in and sealing a deal for Conceicao, with a big match against Juventus on January 3 fast approaching.
Milan also have plenty of work to do in Europe as they currently sit 12th in the Champions League stage of the knockout play-offs.