Alphadjo Cisse has been the talk of the town in the last 24 hours and AC Milan fans actually have the previous management to thank for this. 

A hat-trick on the big stage, even if in the Europa League and not the Champions League, is always going to catch a lot of attention. Especially if you are just 19 years old, Italian, and have set a record as a result of that hat-trick.

Cisse will know all about that now after finding the back of the net three times against Salzburg last night. The fact that Milan are actively working on a contract renewal is yet another boost for the youngster, who was signed earlier in the year by the previous management.

Moncada identifies, Furlani delivers

To understand how Cisse’s move to Milan came about, we have to go back and look at when the Rossoneri first expressed an interest. Below, you can find a timeline of key events relating to the pursuit of the youngster:

• February 2024: Milan expressed their interest in Cisse, then at Hellas Verona, after being impressed by his performance with the youth national teams.
• August 2024: Giorgio Furlani opened talks with Verona to negotiate Cisse’s transfer, following great reports from Geoffrey Moncada’s scouting department, but €5m was requested.
• August 2025: Verona announced the season-long loan of Cisse to the Serie B side Catanzaro, understanding that he needed more consistent playing time to develop.
• January 2026: Milan mobilised after hearing that Cisse was close to cutting his loan short and joining PSV in a permanent move.
• January 2026: Milan reached an agreement with Verona, agreeing to pay €8m plus bonuses, which was a little more than PSV’s offer. The transfer was then announced.

Now that you know the background, you can also see that Milan’s interest goes way back, predating the Igli Tare era and obviously the current management. It would thus be fair to say that Cisse has become a great parting gift of the Moncada and Furlani era.

Moncada and his scouts were the ones who identified Cisse and pushed for his arrival, while Furlani eventually got the deal over the line, even if it took some time and outstanding pressure.

On the flip side, as this article wasn’t meant to shower the duo with praise, they also made a fair share of poor signings during their time at the club.