MN: What no Champions League means for Milan’s 2025-26 planning | OneFootball

AC Milan are playing out a season finale in which they can win a second trophy, but paradoxically the Champions League has already vanished.

As MilanNews writes, unless there is some kind of May miracle, Milan will not play in the top European club competition next season after three years of consecutive qualifications with Stefano Pioli as the head coach.

Economic damage

It is a huge disappointment that the fans – after years of football oblivion – hoped not to experience again so soon. Above all there is economic damage that will inevitably impact the construction of the team for next year.

Milan, like all Italian clubs, do not yet have typical revenues (sponsors, merchandising, commercial) high enough to be able to be self-sustainable without the injections of the huge prize money that the Champions League brings.

The typical revenues can increase or decrease slightly, while the sporting revenues inevitably move the needle of the scale in one direction or the other. In short, without the €60m obtained from the UCL this season, the gap will have to be filled through other means.

First of all, there is the hope that the Rossoneri can at least get into the Europa League by winning the Coppa Italia. The earnings would certainly be lower, but still a good way to raise funds, given Lazio for example got €23m for reaching the quarter-final stage.

Photo by AC Milan

Player trading

Milan will therefore have to be very good at using player trading to get rid of those players no longer considered useful to the project, then going to fish for others who will be called upon to offer better performances on the pitch.

It will be necessary to get as much as possible from the various players on loan and currently out of the project: Adli, Pobega, Kalulu, Bennacer, Okafor, Colombo and Saelemaekers. If for the Belgian there is the chance to make a healthy sum, for the others buyers must be found.

Juventus seem to be oriented towards signing Kalulu permanently for €14m plus bonuses, while the other situations are not yet clear at the moment. It will be hard to cash in on players who are not deemed good enough for a €10m buy-out, like Pobega and Adli.

What is certain is that without the Champions League a clear line will be drawn compared to the recent past: it will be necessary to make as few mistakes as possible, buy players useful to the coach’s way of playing and those who feel a sense of belonging.