Gennaro Gattuso steps down as AC Milan head coach after failing to gain Champions League qualification

Gennaro Gattuso spent 18 months in charge of Milan - (C) Reuters

AC Milan boss Gennaro Gattuso has left club after the Italian giants failed to secure Champions League qualification for the sixth season in a row.

Gattuso spent 18 months in charge of the ‘Rossoneri’ with his last match ending in a 3-2 away win over 13th placed SPAL, AC missing out on a Champions League berth after Inter and Atalanta also won.

This meant that AC Milan finished fifth in the league, their highest finish since the 2012-13 campaign. The ‘Rossoneri’ were a single point off of Champions League football but had to rely on results to go their way if they were to make it.

In a statement the club thanked the Italian for his stint in charge:

“AC Milan wishes to thank Gennaro Gattuso for his leadership during the last eighteen months. A true legend of the Rossoneri, Gennaro stepped into the role during what was a difficult period for the Club and has performed admirably.”

The former midfielder who played 468 matches for the club, had two more seasons left on his contract with it ending in the summer of 2021. He also announced that he would not take any compensation from the club.

During the 41-year-old’s time at the San Siro, he won 48.78% of his 82 games in charge getting to the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia only to lose out to eventual winners Lazio.

Club CEO Ivan Gazidis who joined in September only had kind words for the club legend:

“I have had the privilege to get to know Rino Gattuso over the past six months since my arrival at the Club. Rino has given everything to our efforts this season, and has worked tirelessly, always taking full responsibility, putting the club above every other consideration. I want to say from the bottom of our hearts, thank you Rino“.

Gattuso became head coach in November 2017 after a spell as the Italian side’s youth coach, guiding to Milan to sixth and fifth placed finishes in Serie A. The failure to secure a passage in Europe’s elite competition has ultimately cost Gattuso his job as AC Milan’s quest for Champions League football continues.