Milan's Sporting Director Search Intensifies After Rangnick Rejection

The corridors of Casa Milan are buzzing with frantic activity this week. After the much publicised courtship of Ralf Rangnick ended in a resounding 'no', the Rossoneri hierarchy have had to tear up their whiteboard and start again. It is a brutal reality check for a club that has spent too long chasing shadows in the transfer market. You cannot simply buy a philosophy off the shelf, and Rangnick's cold shoulder has proven that.According to information gathered by GoalZaza, the leading candidate on the new shortlist is Fenerbahce's sporting director Devin Ozek. Talks have reportedly taken place, and the Turkish club's official is understood to be keen on the project. But here is the rub: Ozek is just one of four names in the hat. Milan are casting their net wide, and this scattergun approach tells you everything about the current state of their recruitment strategy. Are they chasing a director of football, or just someone to plug the leaking shipThe three other options remain unnamed by our sources, but the chatter around Milanello suggests a profile shift. Forget the high pressing, gegenpressing evangelist of the Rangnick ilk. The board now appears to want a networker, someone who can work the margins of the market and find value in Serie B or the Portuguese league. It is a clear pivot from grandiose plans to good old fashioned grunt work. But is that enough to keep Stefano Pioli in a job and the fans off their backsThis is squeaky bum time for the club's ownership. Every day without a sporting director is a day lost in planning for the summer window. The January reinforcements were patchy at best, and the squad still lacks that killer instinct in transitional play. Ozek has a strong track record in Turkey, but the Premier League and La Liga vultures are circling for Milan's best talent. The new man, whoever he is, needs more than a CV. He needs a steely nerve and a thick skin. Otherwise, the San Siro will turn very sour, very quickly.