Simone Inzaghi’s first season at Al-Hilal is turning into a nightmare. He could soon end up back in Serie A, with AC Milan not entirely ruled out.
As Calciomercato.com report, Inzaghi is under severe pressure. In the league, Al-Hilal have squandered a seven-point lead against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr and now find themselves five points behind with six games remaining. In the Asian Champions League, they lost on penalties to Roberto Mancini’s Al-Sadd.
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The real risk is that his first year in Saudi Arabia will end with zero titles. Meanwhile, fans on social media and elsewhere are calling for the former Nerazzurri coach to leave. He has only the King’s Cup remainin to avoid finishing without a trophy for the second year in a row, after 2024-25 ended badly with Inter.
A dismissal is a possibility that cannot be ruled out, even though Al-Hilal have invested heavily in Inzaghi, signing him to a €50m contract until 30 June 2027. They also brought him signings he wanted, like Karim Benzema in the January transfer window and Theo Hernandez in the summer.
A future up in the air
Even if he were to be sacked, Inzaghi would still not be able to sign with any team until July 3. Under Saudi Arabian law, a stay of at least 183 days in 2026 is required to be considered a resident for the current tax year and enjoy the benefits of working in Saudi Arabia: not paying personal income tax.
Furthermore, if Inzaghi were to leave Saudi Arabia early, he would not only lose the tax break, but would also be resident in Italy for 2026 and would therefore be subject to taxation on foreign income, a rate of over 45%. Inzaghi would therefore have to pay about half of the €12.5m he earned in Saudi Arabia, equivalent to approximately €6.25m.
Stefano Pioli faced a similar problem, having to wait until 3 July, 2025 to sign with Fiorentina to avoid losing the tax benefits of his time at Al-Nassr. Therefore, it wouldn’t be a problem for a future team, although one would need to be identified.
What might that future team be? Italy are searching for a coach, and Massimiliano Allegri would be Giovanni Malagò’s ideal candidate if elected as FIGC president. If Allegri were to be prised from Milan, then the position of Rossoneri head coach would become open.
Meanwhile, Antonio Conte is also being considered as a possible coach for Italy, which would consequently leave the Napoli job vacant. These are two top clubs, and it’s important to remember that Inzaghi, who plays a 3-5-2 formation, already replaced Conte at Inter in 2021.
Other ideas
If he were to return to Italy, the Azzurri bench would be Inzaghi’s top priority. He wouldn’t mind returning after a difficult year, and the fact that the national team needs a coach starting in September would allow him to stay in Saudi Arabia for the 183 days required to enjoy tax benefits.
He also has the advantage of being very good at managing cup competitions, as he demonstrated at Inter. However, before talking about the European Championships and World Cups, the Azzurri must focus on qualifying, which isn’t a given given recent events.
When rumours swirled about his departure from Inter a year ago, Inzaghi’s name was linked to several important positions. There was even talk of Real Madrid, who will most likely say goodbye to Arbeloa at the end of the year.
Liverpool and Manchester United, however, had shown more concrete interest. The manager had already been on Jurgen Klopp’s shortlist for successor in 2024, before the Reds chose Arne Slot. Slot himself appears destined for dismissal after a very disappointing year.
So, if Inzaghi were to leave Saudi Arabia, the Premier League prospect could be tempting for the coach, who in 2024 confirmed he was intrigued by the idea, stating: “The Premier League is a fascinating type of football. I don’t deny that there was a possibility in the past.
“Both when I was at Lazio and since I’ve been at Inter, but I was happy at Lazio and I’m happy at Inter. English football is a fascinating and intriguing type of football, but right now I’m happy at Inter. As for the future, I’m not sure.”
I personally wouldn’t take any manager that leaves Europe, a top club, and goes to Saudi Arabia. That is just me, but doing that says a thing or two about the person. He is still a great manager and would probably do good at Milan.
Xabi Alonso, Xavi, Maresca would be better options. maybe even Motta
Maresca? You haven’t been paying attention. He’s not a good coach.
Hard No. Thank You. If you’re bring anyone back to Milan from the middle east, bring Mancini.
Mister ‘Before and after Xmas holidays’ manager haha. He always plays fantastic first half of the season and ruins everything in the second. We don’t have squad depth for him.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Italy national team better choose inzaghi than allegri. Italy need a revolutionary . If allegri the manager, the italy CB would be acerbi / spinazzola 😅😅