Paulo Fonseca Appointed New Head Coach of AC Milan

AC Milan has appointed Paulo Fonseca as their new head coach, marking a significant change in the club’s leadership. The Serie A runners-up announced the decision on Thursday, with the former Roma manager signing a three-year contract to take the helm.

The announcement was made by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, representing the club’s ownership, at a press conference. “Milan’s new coach will be Paulo Fonseca,” Ibrahimovic stated, emphasizing the thorough evaluation of Fonseca’s past achievements and coaching style. “We studied very carefully what he did, how he prepared his matches. We want him to bring his identity of game, his offensive style to our team, to our players. After five years we wanted something new, with all respect to Stefano Pioli.”

Fonseca, 51, brings a wealth of experience from his tenure at various clubs, most recently at French side Lille, where he has been since 2022. His coaching career began in Portugal, with successful stints at Pacos de Ferreira, Porto, and Braga. He then moved to Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine, where he won seven trophies and achieved a record of 103 wins in 139 matches.

In 2019, Fonseca took over at Roma, leading the team to fifth and seventh place finishes in Serie A during his two seasons. At Lille, he guided the club to fifth and fourth in Ligue 1, securing European competition qualifications in both seasons.

Fonseca replaces Stefano Pioli, who was dismissed after the 2023-24 season, concluding his five-year spell with Milan. The club finished as Serie A runners-up, falling significantly behind city rivals Inter Milan, and experienced early exits in both the Champions League and Europa League.

Born in Nampula, Mozambique, Fonseca’s coaching philosophy is known for its offensive style, a trait that Milan’s management is eager to see reflected in their team. This appointment aims to reinvigorate Milan’s strategies and performance on the field.

The announcement of Fonseca’s appointment follows a similar high-profile managerial change in Italy, with Juventus appointing Thiago Motta as their new head coach, succeeding Massimiliano Allegri.