Site icon Talk Milan

Pioli signs well-deserved Milan contract renewal but important work still to be done

Sumeet Paul

AC Milan confirmed Stefano Pioli’s contract renewal on Friday, with the Rossoneri boss undoubtedly deserving of his new deal.

As per the club’s official site, the 56-year-old’s new contract will run until June 2023, with an option to extend for an additional year, with Pioli himself, CEO Ivan Gazidis and director Paolo Maldini all sharing their delight with the agreement.

READ MORE: Milan player ratings vs Atletico: Kjaer, Romagnoli and Messias decisive

Embed from Getty Images

The timing of the announcement is perhaps not ideal given we’re midway through the campaign and much could still happen between now and May, but ultimately Milan have shown they have full belief in Pioli and remain convinced that he will continue to be the right man for the job to achieve both our short-term and long-term objectives.

Time will tell if that’s the case, but based on the work he has done thus far, there is little doubt that it’s the right move from the Milan hierarchy to extend his stay.

Important progression under Pioli, but Milan job isn’t done

Pioli has come a long way since his appointment in October 2019.

After the failed tenure of Marco Giampaolo, Milan were in a difficult place after years of disappointment and frustration, and his arrival wasn’t welcomed with open arms by many fans either who were somewhat underwhelmed by the choice.

However, since that time, Pioli has overseen a steady progression and development of the squad into one that has now qualified for the Champions League, and is in a strong position to compete for the Scudetto this year.

That is ultimately the job he was given to do, and thus far, the Milan boss has delivered.

Naturally, that isn’t to say that there haven’t been any difficult moments or question marks along the way, as he has had to overcome adversity on several occasions both with and without his players sharing a level of blame or responsibility.

The common theme though under his management has been an ongoing improvement and progress that has led us to where we are now, having ended our painfully long wait to return to Europe’s top table and challenge for major honours.

With that in mind, the decision to hand Pioli an extension is absolutely the right decision, and one that he has earned through his work with the squad.

That said, there is still a long way to go for both him and the players.

As expectation and demands grow, we’ve gone from aiming to break back into the top four to now having realistic ambitions to win a league title.

The next stage of Pioli’s tenure is about pushing us on to that next level where we establish ourselves as one of, if not the best sides in Italy, and year-on-year fight to finish top of the pile.

Running parallel to that has to be an ability to compete in the Champions League and improve on what we’ve seen this year as we try to find our feet at that level again. It has been difficult and it’s still a young squad that is gaining invaluable experience.

It’s hoped that we can still make it out of the group this year, but should we qualify again for next season, it’s about showing that we’re continuously going in the right direction and moving ever closer to being the club that we want to be on and off the pitch.

Pioli has played an integral role in that process and will now continue to do so. Beyond the results, he’s also given Milan an identity again, a direction and philosophy that we play with, and having also developed many young players with Sandro Tonali now emerging as the latest to shine, there is little doubt that Pioli has deservedly been given the chance to continue the fine work he’s done to date for another two years at least.

Exit mobile version