As Inter Milan prepares for their Champions League final against PSG, speculation around manager Simone Inzaghi and a future in Saudi Arabia, is rife.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Al-Hilal’s pursuit of the Italian tactician has intensified. With a staggering €50 million three-year contract reportedly on the table.
Inzaghi is currently making €6.5 million net per year. If accepted, it makes him the highest-paid coach globally.
Only Pep Guardiola’s estimated €23 million annually at Manchester City come close.
Simone Inzaghi To Saudi Arabia: The Golden Handcuffs of Riyadh
The Saudi proposition represents more than just financial temptation. Al-Hilal is offering Inzaghi something rarely available in European football.
Namely, complete autonomy over a €350+ million annual budget, significantly outstripping Inter’s constrained €200 million spending power under Oaktree’s strict financial parameters.
A Carte blanche over budgets, transfers, and tactical decisions would transform him from employee to football commander in chief.
In an era where even elite European clubs impose boardroom restrictions, this level of control is intoxicating.
Especially considering Al-Hilal’s infrastructure investment exceeds most Serie A clubs’ entire annual revenues.
The Cautionary Tales
Yet the Saudi Pro League’s recent history serves as a double-edged sword. Despite the league’s reported $2.3 billion investment in player acquisitions since 2023, high-profile imports have faced mixed results.
Neymar’s Al-Hilal tenure began with fanfare but quickly soured as performances failed to match expectations, leading to brutal media criticism and fan backlash.
Similarly, Jorge Jesus’s dismissal following Al-Hilal’s Asian Champions League exit highlighted the unforgiving nature of Saudi football’s growing ambitions notably,
European coaches in the Saudi Pro League have a 34% success rate in completing their initial contracts, according to industry sources (confidential agent survey, 2024).
The league’s youth and rapid development create both opportunity and volatility.
While the financial backing is unprecedented, the reputational risks are equally significant in a market still finding its footballing identity.
Simone Inzaghi To Saudi Arabia – A Continuation Of Italy’s Gulf Pivot?
The geopolitical context cannot be ignored. Italy and Saudi Arabia have never enjoyed closer diplomatic and economic ties, with bilateral trade reaching €8.2 billion in 2024 a 23% increase from 2023.
Italian firms are playing a leading role across renewable energy, space, and tech, all linked to the 500-billion-dollar futuristic city project NEOM.
This economic partnership extends to sports diplomacy, with the Saudi Public Investment Fund reportedly earmarking €1.2 billion specifically for acquiring Italian football expertise over the next five years.
Should Inzaghi lead Inter to Champions League glory, as many anticipate, his move to Riyadh would symbolize more than personal ambition.
It would represent Italian football’s strategic pivot toward Gulf petrodollars, potentially opening lucrative pathways for Serie A’s broader expansion into the Muslim world’s most affluent markets.
Which targets the region’s 450 million football fans with significant purchasing power.
The Survivor’s Next Challenge
Inzaghi has already proven his adaptability under pressure. He navigated Inter’s tumultuous Chinese ownership debt crisis of 2023-2024 and successfully transitioned to American ownership under Oaktree Capital.
Along the way, he delivered the club’s 20th Scudetto. As well as reached two Champions League finals in spite of budget limitations and unfriendly media.
This track record suggests a manager comfortable with upheaval and change. The Saudi opportunity represents the ultimate test of his ambition.
Having conquered Italian football and established himself among Europe’s elite coaches, the Al-Hilal project offers something European football cannot.
Namely, the chance to build a footballing empire from the ground up, backed by seemingly limitless resources.
An Inevitable Move?
If Inzaghi lifts the Champions League trophy, he will have achieved everything possible at Inter while facing the reality of Oaktree Capital’s 3-5 year exit strategy timeline and increasing UEFA Financial Fair Play scrutiny.
Not to mention that he would have brought in north of €133 million just from the Champions League competition.
Potentially boosting Inter’s valuation towards the $2 billion threshold that makes the club attractive for future sale.
The Saudi offer provides not just financial attractiveness, but historical significance.
The opportunity to become a pioneer in football’s inevitable eastern expansion. Especially considering Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup hosting ambitions require proven tactical expertise at the highest level.
For a manager who has already proven himself as both tactician and survivor, the allure of becoming an architect of Saudi football’s future may prove irresistible.
Particularly with Al-Hilal’s reported backup targets.
The question isn’t whether Inzaghi will make the move, but when the stars align for his inevitable Saudi Arabian adventure.
By: Andrea Zanon
Andrea Zanon is the co-founder of Confidente. He is an international advisor who has worked for financial institutions and entrepreneurs on sustainability, international affairs and development.
Well… what can I say. Hope he does well on his next adventures lol. I would love to see a change of coach but Inzaghi isn’t going anywhere. I’m gonna be suffering through this 3-5-2 formation and horrible in game management for the next 2-3 years
what is the point of building a super team in a fantasy league no one cares about? I understand him wanting to take the insane money but I don’t see the appeal of control over a team that at best can aspire to impress against real teams at the club world cup.
I agree with you, and with the great last few years result, it may be difficult for him to repeat this performance with Inter. Bravo Inzaghi, one of the top coaches in the world!
If he wins the UCL and all what the management offers to him is cheap 20-30 mln transfers, it might be better for him to move on.