BEVERLY HILLS, May 27, (THEWILL) – The turnover of coaches in Europe’s top leagues continues unabated as Serie A side Lazio confirmed the departure of their manager Simone Inzaghi.
In a terse statement published on Thursday, the Italian club acknowledged that Inzaghi “changed his mind’ and has left to take the vacant managerial slot that opened up in the champions Inter Milan camp with the exit of title-winning Antonio Conte
It was revealing however, that the statement from Lazio was suspiciously missing the name of the coach.
It may have had to do with the fact that Inzaghi’s contract with the Aquile was due to expire on June 30, this year. Only on Wednesday night, the manager had seemingly agreed to extend it until 2024 to continue the work he was doing with the team. Suddenly, when Inter came knocking, with the promise of double wages for a chance to work with the champions, Inzaghi jumped.
It is the sort of opportunity that is difficult to turn down and though Lazio club president Claudio Lotito tried, he could not convince Inzaghi to stay hard as he tried and after everything he offered as compensation if Inzaghi stayed. When it was clear the coach was leaving, the statement that did not mention him by name was released.
It read, in part: “We respect the change of mind of a coach and, before that, of a player who for many years tied his name to the Lazio family and the many Biancocelesti successes.”
Deliberately leaving out the name of the Lazio football icon and the team’s coach in the public statement acknowledging his exit is a strong statement indicative of the general mood in the Lazio camp against the 45-year-old, who had committed something of his career to Lazio in those memorable days.
Inzaghi’s career involved a productive stint at Lazio, featuring for the Aquile from 1999 to his retirement in 2010 appearing 133 times with 28 goals, albeit with some loan spells at Sampdoria and Atalanta before 2010, when he took up coaching in their youth academy.
Inzaghi, who was given the top Lazio job when current Leeds manager, Marcelo Bielsa, changed his mind about taking the job, can look at what they have accomplished with a sense of varnished pride. Under him, Lazio reached the Coppa Italia, two editions of the Italian Supercup and got their first Champions League qualification in 13 years.
Inzaghi’s exit paves the way for Inter to announce the manager as their new coach. By Friday, he will be signed on a two-year contract worth €4m per season plus €1m in bonuses.
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.
