Romano: Why Cardinale hired Amorim over Newcastle head coach Jaissle
Fabrizio Romano has explained why AC Milan owner Gerry Cardinale chose Ruben Amorim over Matthias Jaissle.
Milan made the decision to sack Massimiliano Allegri (along with almost the entire management) less than 24 hours after the defeat to Cagliari in the final game of last season. The hunt for a replacement began and many different names were linked, from Andoni Iraola to Mauricio Pochettino.
In the the end Rossoneri hired Amorim after a process that was led by Cardinale, who adopted a more hands-on approach to club decisions. One of the candidates mentioned had been Jaissle though, who impressed at RB Salzburg and was managing in Saudi Arabia.
Why Cardinale went for Amorim
Jaissle would head to the Premier League to replace Eddie Howe at Newcastle United. In a video posted on his YouTube channel (via MilanNews), Fabrizio Romano gave the background on Milan’s manager pursuit.
“Yesterday was a day where we heard and read a bit of everything, as if we couldn’t wait to criticise and slam Ruben Amorim,” he said.
“He may not be the best coach in the world, but, in my opinion, he doesn’t deserve all the criticism he’s receiving after a match that perhaps wasn’t played to the highest standard like the one against Juventus, but which Milan still led until the final minutes.
“The Diavolo proved to be absolutely up to the task. Then to think that Amorim, who came from completely different backgrounds like Portugal and England, could completely change the face of Milan in three months was absolutely unthinkable.
“From his first meeting with Gerry Cardinale, Amorim – who competed for the AC Milan coaching job with Matthias Jaissle, now Newcastle manager – demonstrated an honesty and long-term vision that made the difference in the AC Milan owner’s choice.
“Even before being appointed as Milan’s new coach, the Portuguese was very clear about wanting to bring his vision of football. But it’s clear that it will take time, and the Rossoneri themselves know this, recognising that it will take patience to build a team worthy of Milan.
“Amorim’s goal is clearly to win and compete as best as possible, but the Portuguese needs and wants time to showcase his Milan team from a tactical, attitude, and even player perspective.
“Amorim has been very clear about this; he hasn’t promised anything, and he deserves respect for his clarity and honesty. The pitch will obviously tell the story later.”
