Milan's Coaching Search: Glasner Moves to the Front of the Queue

The Rossoneri's summer rebuild is taking shape, and it appears the identity of the man to lead it is narrowing. While representatives from the club are expected to hold talks with Matthias Jaissle, the Al. Ahli boss, the prevailing wind from Milanello suggests a different name is gaining serious traction. The sense inside the corridors of power is that Oliver Glasner has moved ahead in the race, a development that speaks volumes about the board's current thinking.This is not a decision taken lightly. Jaissle, fresh from a spell in the Saudi Pro League, has admirers for his work with Red Bull Salzburg, where he cultivated a high energy, vertical style. But there is a sense that Glasner offers something more adaptable, a tactical flexibility that Milan's hierarchy craves. After the staccato football of the past season, a coach who can shift between a high press and a disciplined mid block without losing the team's shape is valuable. Glasner's work at Eintracht Frankfurt, particularly the way he organised that Europa League winning side, showed a pragmatist who could also inspire. He built a team that was fiendishly difficult to break down yet clinical on the break. Can Jaissle claim a similar body of work in Europe's top five leagues Not convincingly.The logic is sound. Milan need a steadying hand, not a revolutionary. They have a squad that can play transitional football, but they also need to learn how to control a game when the opposition parks the bus. Glasner's record of improving individual players, from Kolo Muani to Lindstrøm, will also appeal to a board that needs to sell assets to reinvest. It is a marriage of short term necessity and long term vision. The question now is whether the Austrian has the appetite to step into the San Siro pressure cooker. From what GoalZaza understands, the feeling is increasingly mutual. Expect movement on this front in the coming days.