Amorim: ‘Milan have to thank Allegri, I promise I will talk transfers next week’

Amorim: ‘Milan have to thank Allegri, I promise I will talk transfers next week’ Ruben Amorim has thanked his predecessor Massimiliano Allegri for the culture that he brought to Milan and has promised that he will reveal all about Milan’s summer transfer window, but only once the deadline has passed next week. The Rossoneri head coach sat down for his pre-match press conference on Thursday ahead of his side’s match at home against Venezia in Serie A, which will be Amorim’s first in San Siro. TURIN, ITALY – AUGUST 23: Ruben Amorim, Head Coach of AC Milan looks on before the Serie A match between Torino FC and AC Milan at Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino on August 23, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images) Amorim discussed a wide array of subjects during his lengthy chat with the press, including the futures of Rafael Leao, Youssouf Fofana, Santiago Gimenez and Fikayo Tomori, the importance of Adrien Rabiot and the challenge that Venezia will pose. Amorim first spoke about Milan’s need to be able to rotate while keeping some form of consistency in a busy season that will see them compete in the Europa League on Thursday nights. “We need to think about creating mechanisms and we need to give stability to the team but we also need to prepare all the team for the season because it’s  going to be impossible to be really competitive in every game in Serie A and play with the same team on Thursday with the Europa League,” Amorim said. “Our goal is simple. We want to win titles and we want to be competitive. And for that, we need to have some rotation in the team. And then we also need to understand that nowadays, when you face an opponent, the next week you are going to face a very different opponent with different characteristics. That’s why you need to have different characteristics in some players to be ready to play against any team. “To have that stability and to create the mechanism with the team, we need to rotate but also create some stability with the team and we will try to do that.” Amorim on Leao, Tomori, Fofana and Gimenez TURIN, ITALY – AUGUST 23: Ruben Amorim, Head Coach of AC Milan reacts during the Serie A match between Torino FC and AC Milan at Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino on August 23, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images) Amorim fielded plenty of questions about Milan’s transfer business, and though he was unable to give too much away on this occasion, he promises that he will reveal all next week, once the window has closed. “I’m going to say what I said in the first meeting. I’m really happy with the team. I don’t know what is going to happen until the end of the market, but if someone is coming into our team, it’s going to be someone that can help us not just in the present but also in the future. “About the players that are going to be involved in the game (against Venezia), you are going to receive the squad list. Leao had one training session with us. He’s still not really fit compared to the others. He’s not going to be in the game. I’m going to choose the best ones. “We just have to wait five days and then at the end of the market we can talk about everything because we have an explanation. We’ll have nothing to hide. But let’s wait until the end of the market.” Amorim was asked about the situations surrounding Fikayo Tomori, Youssouf Fofana and Santiago Gimenez, who will not be part of his plans for the coming season, and have reportedly been informed that they will be forced to watch on for the sidelines if they do not find a move away before the end of the summer transfer window. CREMONA, ITALY – MARCH 01: Fikayo Tomori of AC Milan in action during the Serie A match between US Cremonese and AC Milan at Stadio Giovanni Zini on March 01, 2026 in Cremona, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Scaccianoce/Getty Images) “You guys are really good at your jobs,” Amorim joked. “You know that some players, even if they don’t leave the club, they will not be part of the team because it’s impossible. It’s not because they’re bad players. They’re very good players and they’re very good people, but it’s impossible to train during the week with 27 players. Nobody is going to be prepared, nobody is going to be satisfied, so there are some players that if they stay, they will not be part of the squad. “But we have a responsibility and we will provide all the facilities, everything that we have to fulfill our job as a club. “At this moment, the market is open, let’s focus on Venezia. That’s the biggest concern in my mind at the moment.” Amorim was asked if he feels he needs another defender in his squad, purely from a numerical point of view. He said: “I think we need to focus on the game. We have players, we have defenders, we have young defenders who need space to play. We’re not going to solve all our team’s problems in one window. We need to think about all the actions that we make for the team. We need to understand that we’re acting today to influence our club for the next four or five years. “So we need to take time and believe in our young players, maybe there will be a surprise from someone. “Nowadays everyone wants everything really fast and I’m a little bit old school. I think a lot of things will take time. We have players to play, we will be prepared for any match. We are going to have some problems with young players in some games, but again, big surprises happen. “Imagine if I believed Alpha (Alhadjo Cisse) wasn’t ready to play because he came from Serie B. Maybe he wouldn’t have played, maybe he won’t play in the next game, I don’t know. But sometimes you get surprises.” There were then further questions about Leao, who continues to be linked with potential moves to Galatasaray or Aston Villa in the final week of the transfer window. MILAN, ITALY – MAY 10: Rafael Leao of AC Milan looks dejected as he leaves the pitch after being substituted during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Atalanta BC at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on May 10, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images) “It’s difficult to talk about individual situations. I promise you guys, in the next press conference, you can ask anything about the market, I will explain everything. “Leao is a very, very strong player. I said to Leao and I said to the team: Leao is a player that if he’s in the right mindset, he can play in any team in the world, but he needs to have the right mindset. “Sometimes you reach a moment where you need to go to another place, so we are in that moment. You guys know better than me what’s happening. Let’s wait, focus on Venezia, because we haven’t spoken about Giovanni Stroppa, how they play, they won almost every game in Serie B, so I’m so concerned about this game, our first in San Siro. I promise you guys, in the next press conference I will talk about the market with you.” Amorim previews Milan vs. Venezia VENICE, ITALY – MAY 12: Supporters of Venezia during the Serie A match between Venezia and Fiorentina at Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo on May 12, 2025 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images) Finally, Amorim got what he wanted and was asked about this weekend’s game against Venezia and his first Serie A match at San Siro. He said: “I think it’s going to be a special day for me as a coach, I’m going to feel the responsibility, I’m going to be focused on the game. But I will try to enjoy the moment where I feel the game for the first time in San Siro. “I expect a very difficult match. If you watch the game against Lecce, if you just see the result, you don’t understand what sort of team Venezia is. They will have the ball, San Siro will be a little bit nervous because they are really good at having the ball. “We need to be really smart, we need to be really humble in the way we press, in the way we run because we are going to have to run and we need to be really strong with the ball because they will mark us man to man, especially at the beginning.” Amorim was also asked how central Adrien Rabiot is to his plans, to which he replied: “I didn’t know him before coming here, but he’s crucial to our project. I love him and I would love for him to stay in Milan. TURIN, ITALY – AUGUST 23: Adrien Rabiot of AC Milan celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the Serie A match between Torino FC and AC Milan at Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino on August 23, 2026 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images) “If possible, I’d like for him to sign a new contract, he knows that. He’s very professional, he plays for the France national team, he helps the young guys a lot in every training session. He’s not in his best condition, but he’s already been decisive for us. He’s a key player.” And will he play as a classic central midfielder or as more of an attacking trequartista this season? “He can play both as a midfielder and as a no.10, it depends on the games and the opponents, but also on who we have available for those games. He played in that position with your friend Roberto De Zerbi. He’s very intelligent and is very capable of shooting from outside of the box.” Amorim also teased that Christian Pulisic could earn his first minutes of the 2026-27 season, but warned: “He won’t play from the start, but let’s see if he gets a few minutes.” Lastly, Amorim was asked if there are any individuals that had stood out for him over the last week. In his previous press conference, he had sung the praises of the teenage Cisse, who went on to score on his Rossoneri debut last weekend. “I like them all,” Amorim insisted. “Maybe I’ll name a name if they score. They’re all working very well. We have to give credit to Max Allegri, you can see that there’s a culture here, everyone wants to work hard and is very well organised.”