June 09, (THEWILL) – Inter Milan have officially appointed Cristian Chivu as their new head coach following Simone Inzaghi’s departure to Saudi Arabian club, Al Hilal. The 44-year-old Romanian has signed a two-year contract that will keep him at San Siro until 2027, marking his return to the club where he enjoyed considerable success as a player between 2007 and 2014.
Chivu arrives at Inter after a brief but impressive stint with Serie A side Parma, whom he joined in February on what was originally a contract until 2026. Taking charge when the club sat 18th in the table and just one point above the relegation zone, the former defender managed to steer Parma to safety with a 16th-place finish. His 13 matches in charge yielded enough points to avoid relegation by a comfortable five-point margin, demonstrating his immediate impact in senior management.
The appointment represents a homecoming for Chivu, who made 168 appearances during his playing career with the Nerazzurri and was part of José Mourinho’s historic treble-winning squad in 2010. After retiring from professional football, he returned to Inter’s coaching structure and spent four years developing young talent as head coach of their Primavera under-20 team from 2021. His playing career also included spells with Ajax and Roma, alongside 75 international caps for Romania.
Inzaghi’s departure comes despite guiding Inter to Saturday’s UEFA Champions League final, where they suffered a heavy 5-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in Munich. The 49-year-old Italian’s four-year tenure at the club brought domestic success, including the 2023/2024 Serie A title, though the 2024/2025 season proved more challenging. Inter finished second in Serie A, losing the title race to Napoli by a single point on the final day, and also fell short in both the Coppa Italia semi-finals against Milan and the Supercoppa Italiana final.
Inter had initially approached Como coach Cesc Fàbregas about the vacant position before ultimately deciding on Chivu. The club’s announcement on social media featured the message “Una nuova pagina da scrivere” (A new page to write), signalling their confidence in the former defender’s ability to return the club to winning ways. Chivu inherits a squad that reached two UEFA finals under Inzaghi but will be expected to reclaim domestic dominance in the upcoming campaign.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
