The strongman in danger: Milan's silent revolution threatens to clip Ibrahimovic's claws | Goal.com

Published on 06 Sep 2026 | Reading time: 3 minutes

Milan have undergone a radical transformation this summer, and not only on the pitch. A disappointing season and a testing finale left the management with a major challenge, and now the club's owner Gerry Cardinale has decided to adopt a more hands-on approach.

According to the website "Foot Mercato", Gerry has long been criticised for keeping his distance from the day-to-day running of the Rossoneri. This time he has intensified his visits to Italy, held meetings, and thrashed things out with the various departments across the sporting side.

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Bold decisions and a comprehensive restructuring have followed. The change reached the technical staff too, with new coach Ruben Amorim arriving, while this summer's transfer window confirmed the desire for a fresh start through major investment, particularly the signings of Gonçalo Ramos, Diego Moreira and Mario Gila.

Years of management leaned heavily on delegation. Cardinale now wants to sit at the heart of the decision-making, and to push the sporting project back to the top of his priorities.

This new philosophy is inevitably shifting the balance within the club. Cardinale has no wish to repeat the model of his early years in charge, when many executives enjoyed considerable autonomy and the American owner looked relatively detached from Milan's daily operations.

Discussions have become more collective now. Decisions must be taken jointly, and each department is expected to work in a more joined-up way. This huge summer window embodies the new approach, along with the desire to hand the new coach the resources he needs and a squad built to his liking. Yet the transformation does not stop at the players or the technical staff. 

The board are also weighing up a new head of the football sector, with Markus Krösche one of the leading candidates. That alone proves Cardinale still wants to reshape his sporting institution.

What the Milan owner wants is a structure in which no single individual holds absolute power, where all decisions run directly to him. It amounts to a quiet but profound revolution, one that could touch one of the most established men at the club: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Milan's advisor.

The Swede officially remains an advisor and keeps a close relationship with Cardinale, but his position could be hit directly by this new structure.

Since his return to Milan, Ibrahimovic has gradually established himself as a pivotal figure in the "Red Bird" project, wielding significant influence over sporting affairs and enjoying privileged access to the owner. His charisma, his history with the Rossoneri, and his bond with Cardinale have earned him a very comfortable position at the club. 

The new structure the American owner envisages may shrink that unique position, according to the Italian press.

A genuine team with clearly defined responsibilities, and the prospect of appointing a head of the football sector with deep experience in sporting management, would inevitably reduce the space the former striker currently occupies. 

None of this necessarily aims to sideline Ibrahimovic, as the relationship between the two men remains strong. The plan is to radically change his role. 

In Milan, where Cardinale now wants skills, structure and the collective ahead of strong personalities, the Swede's influence no longer looks as impregnable as it did a few months ago.

That is precisely what makes the situation so intriguing at the start of the season. Ibrahimovic is not officially under threat, and nothing suggests any intention to part ways for now, but his position clearly faces a new reality.

The prospect of a new head of the football sector, the growing influence of Calvelli, and Cardinale's daily involvement could forge a new balance in which the Swede is no longer the owner's main point of contact on sporting matters. 

Markus Krösche makes the point clearly. His qualifications align perfectly with the stated desire to restructure the football department and lean on genuine managerial experience. 

Should the German join Milan with significant responsibilities, Ibrahimovic's role would inevitably have to be redefined. The Swede holds a pivotal position in the Rossoneri environment right now, but Cardinale's Milan of 2026 no longer wants to run under one strong man.

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The owner has decided to regain control, increase investment, and rebuild the club. That shift may ultimately destroy the role that still seemed impregnable for Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

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