Tare on Milan: “Allegri and I should have paid more attention to certain dynamics. Football was no longer Leao’s priority”

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Six months after his dismissal, former sporting director Igli Tare shares his side of the story about last season at AC Milan. The Albanian executive spoke about himself at length in an interview with Sky Sport Unplugged.

"Until March/April, we were always first or second, then we collapsed mentally because of other dynamics, including some outside the team, which I don't want to talk about. Allegri and I should have paid more attention to certain dynamics," Tare says, seemingly referring to the row between Ibrahimovic and Allegri over how they handled key players such as Pulisic and Leao.

On his relationship with Cardinale: "Just after the Jashari deal was completed, I was very pleased to get a call from Cardinale. He said I could speak to him about anything. But I never had the chance, because there were people above me whom I didn't want to bypass."

His transfer-market regret: "One of our targets was Xhaka, precisely because we wanted to bring players into the team with the qualities needed to lead a group."

"Losing 2-1 to Cagliari, in the way we lost... I think it was the worst match of my life. I'll never forget how I felt, or how sorry I felt for the fans at the stadium that evening."

Turning to his relationship with Leao: "I cared a great deal about Leao as a person, but he was the player we all expected more from. I think football was no longer a priority for him. That's how I see it

What were his priorities? I think, to some extent, his life outside football: music, fashion... But I never doubted his sense of belonging to AC Milan. He was troubled by the fact that he wasn't performing as he had before, and he also had a lot of physical problems."

Tare continues: "Goretzka? At the time, Furlani suggested him as an option. The idea was to build a project with a mix of young players with a promising future and players who were ready."

Daniele Longo: "When I arrived at AC Milan, the only thing they asked me to do was bring in an Italian manager. Allegri brought a lot of experience; at the time, I thought he was the right person to get us into the Champions League straight away."

"I've had the chance to speak to Allegri. He's also very sorry that it ended that way. For him, #Milan have something special."

Joe Gomez of Liverpool? Guehi's move from Crystal Palace to Liverpool fell through, and at the last moment Liverpool backed out. We already had an agreement in place; we were just waiting for that deal to be completed."