'He Stays': New AC Milan Sporting Director Leonardo Backs Genarro Gattuso Amid Conte Speculation
AC Milan's new Sporting Director Leonardo has declared that his former teammate Gennaro Gattuso is going nowhere, despite speculation linking Antonio Conte with San Siro.
The former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte had been tipped to take over the Rossoneri for the 2018/19 season, with Italian reports indicating that Milan had made an offer to the former Juventus boss.
However, during a press conference, as quoted by the club's official website, Leonardo categorically shot down speculation over the manager's position.
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He said: "I share the same point of view of the club management: Gattuso was the first to be confirmed, this has never been discussed. Nobody has spoken to Conte.
"Gattuso is growing constantly as a coach, he is an AC Milan man and we will start with him. His ideas on the transfer market? His plan matches mine. We are in a puzzle, let's see how it will fit together."
Former Milan player and coach Leonardo was announced as sporting director earlier in the week, a day after the dismissal of Massimiliano Mirabelli.
Milan President Paolo Scaroni announced that Leonardo had taken the position in front of the slogan 'Leo is back home'.
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During Leonardo's introduction, Scaroni stated: "You all know Leonardo, I don’t have to introduce him: he was at AC Milan for 14 years as a coach, player and manager. He knows the environment well, so we can say that he is at home."
