Hard to tell what will happen. I agree that RedS**t has to win something to avoid frustrating fans even more (which would be bad for business). But ... will they? And, if so, what will they do? Most likely, they are not going to invest heavily, but they may be more open to selling players if that helps them raise funds (that includes player we would rather see at Milan). While it is not in RedS**t interest to run us like Udinese, I think we will see players getting sold. So, perhaps, the question is who can they sell that can generate cash without impacting the team too much. CDK? Adli? Kalulu? Or will it go deeper ... Maignan?
I think Redbird are unprepared for what they are doing. The idea that firing Maldini was rooted in some "performance-based" capitalist master plan is the fever dream of morons who think Succession is a documentary (a show I refuse to watch)--if they were as competent as I thought, Cardinale (who does have a strong reputation) wouldn't still be meeting with different politicians over sites for his stadium. Also, if it was actually about performance, the fact Pioli was never in question when the man has failed to understand his own tactics, makes them look even more unprepared than I thought.
He doesn't even know where he's going to build his stadium. He's not pinning districts against each other, like most corporations do when shopping for tax benefits. They have a site they were going to regardless, they just pretend to extract concessions. Redbird might have a great team for building a stadium in Germany or California, but they clearly have no idea what they are doing in Italy.
Todd Boehly was able to calm nerves at Chelsea with flashy transfers. Unless Redbird are going to start signing flashy players, then he's going to have a shitty summer. People are supposed to he happy with Thuram and Kamada over Maldini?
Only winning will calm nerves. Imagine if things start our badly for Milan next season? His (Redbird's) only play will be to fire Pioli. And unless he wins something after doing that, he will be in an even worse position, thus starting the "why did we fire Maldini" drumbeat, which will be defeaning from neutral observers. If he starts selling players? Lol. It'll be over for him.
I think these choices are genuinely foolish. If you got pissed at Maldini, who is actually quite diplomatic, and you fire him--then you have to win. That's the only way to trigger fan amnesia. Just like winning the CL made everyone forget Sheva's sale.
This isn't some VC he acquired which failed to meet its targets lol, it is an entertainment product, and Maldini is one of your stars. If the show gets worse, you're going to suffer. It's a big gamble.