According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Glasner has started studying Milan and is preparing to meet with RedBird's senior management.
In the days following his Europa Conference League victory on Wednesday, Glasner did not spend his time celebrating, but primarily on studying Milan. In the coming hours, he will have a face-to-face meeting with Cardinale and his team, and the outgoing Crystal Palace manager wants to be fully prepared. This means he needs to clearly understand what went wrong at Milan last season and how to revitalize the squad, focusing on key players he has known and admired for a long time.
Although Glasner has only managed in Austria, Germany, and England, he has always studied football and players. His coaching staff is also helping him refine the "Milan dossier" in preparation for this summit with the Rossoneri owners, which could be a career-changing opportunity.
At Crystal Palace, Glasner almost exclusively used a 3-4-2-1 formation. In the past, especially during his time at Wolfsburg, he primarily employed a back-four system (4-2-3-1), but all indications now suggest he will continue with a three-man defense. This is the system that helped him win trophies and make a name for himself in England; at the same time, he will also build an "atypical" trident, which means "two attacking midfielders plus one forward."
Compared to Allegri's 3-5-2, will Glasner bring more offensive football? Cardinale has expectations for this. Aside from goalkeeper and captain Maignan, the most crucial player in Glasner's eyes is Pavlovic. A three-man defense system will give Pavlovic more security when covering defensively and make it easier for him to carry the ball forward. De Winter has international experience, and his physicality can be useful; the same goes for Gabbia, who can transmit Milan's DNA to new recruits in the dressing room.
As for Tomori, the decision will be related to his future. Tomori has only one year left on his contract, and Milan needs to decide whether the club wants to make a clean break with the past and find a buyer for him; but whether the player himself accepts is still an issue. What is certain is that Glasner will request at least two reinforcements for the defense, as he is well aware of how demanding it is for the team to play European matches on Thursdays and league matches on Sundays.
In midfield, many issues depend on who stays, especially Rabiot's future. Rabiot is attracting interest from Napoli and hopes to continue following Allegri; additionally, Modrić's choices and departures need to be considered, and Loftus-Cheek and Fofana's Milan careers appear to be nearing an end. Saelemaekers, Arteaga, Baltazar, and Estupiñán all possess the running ability required to play wide in Glasner's system.
This does not mean all these players will stay, but it's worth noting one point: Estupiñán played against Glasner when he was at Brighton, and Glasner saw a different player than the one Milan fans saw last season. What is certain is that Glasner is not the kind of person who will forcefully create obstacles when the club wants to sell some important players. During his tenure at Crystal Palace from 2024 to 2026, the club sold Olise (Bayern), Andersen (Fulham), Eze (Arsenal), and Guéhi (Manchester City) in succession, but Glasner still led the team to win three trophies and promoted the club's growth. Milan's midfield definitely needs to add toughness and quality based on departures, and Jashari can play an important role.
And the attack? Leão has already excluded himself from Milan's future plans. Pulisic can stay and bring international experience to the new Milan. Cardinale wants to keep Pulisic, and Glasner knows him well. As for Nkunku, Glasner has more detailed reference information about him: in the 2022-23 German Cup final, Nkunku scored a goal and provided an assist in Berlin, helping Leipzig defeat Eintracht Frankfurt and costing Glasner the German Cup title.
Milan definitely needs a striker who can guarantee goals. The current squad only has Jiménez, whom Ibrahimović strongly advocated bringing in. Will Ibrahimović accept selling Jiménez, or does he hope Glasner can help him regain his form? What is certain is that, in addition to the striker position, Milan also needs to add some quality to the two attacking midfielder positions and make at least one significant investment.
However, Milan is not the only club interested in Glasner. Leverkusen still hasn't given up on him, so Milan wants to speed things up. Glasner is interested in coaching in a different league and also hopes to join a team that gives him the opportunity to win a league title. From this perspective, Milan can offer him more guarantees than Leverkusen, but Milan also needs to seize the opportunity and present a clear plan.