Former Milan Boss Pioli Formally Hired by Al-Nassr

Former Milan Boss Pioli Formally Hired by Al-Nassr

The second time was the charm for former Milan coach Stefano Pioli, who’s been appointed by Al-Nassr on Wednesday. The Italian manager came inches close to getting the Al-Ittihad job in the summer, but it fell through at the 11th hour

According to Mediaset, the boss inked a two-year contract with an option. He’ll make €12M net annually, a lot more than any Serie A team could have offered. That’s part of the reason why a rumored late attempt by Roma was short-lived. Instead, Milan weren’t really considering bringing him back even though they might fire Paulo Fonseca.

Pioli succeeds Luis Castro on the Al-Nassr bench and will work with former Serie A stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo Brozovic. The other foreigners in the squad are Bento, Mohamed Simakan, Aymeric Laporte, Otavio, Talisca, Wesley, Angelo, and Sadio Mané. They finished second last season and started with one win and two draws in the present one.

Per Tuttomercatoweb, the Parma-born skipper edged out Maciej Skorza, Sergio Conceiçao, Xavi, and Thomas Tuchel. He was still under contract with Milan, which will save €5.8M gross from his departure.

Our Take on Pioli and Al-Nassr

That’s a solid piece of news for the Rossoneri, which will have a larger budget if they do give Fonseca the axe. Not so much for other Serie A sides that have reservations about their gaffers. While he might not be an overly exciting name, he was one of the most established and steady managers on the market and would have been less expensive than most foreign options.

Napoli believe to have a better shot at persuading Antonio Conte this time around and are going all-out in their chase. Aurelio De Laurentiis is ready to offer a three-year contract with €8M wages. If things didn’t go well, the boss would be allowed to leave without monetary penalties, Il Mattino informed.

The gaffer would have a big say in the transfer market. The Partenopei will have a large budget, perhaps up to €200M, if a team triggers Victor Osimhen’s €130M release clause. He’d have complete liberty in choosing his staff. Instead, they have already found a sporting director. Giovanni Manna joined Juventus after he had left. If successful, they could target two of his pet players, Tottenham’s Dejan Kulusevski and Romelu Lukaku. The latter will head back to Chelsea at first.

Napoli are in pole position because Conte wants to return to Serie A and there might not be other prestigious openings. Inter and Roma are widely expected to stick with their current managers, even if Simone Inzaghi and Daniele De Rossi are due for new contracts.

The most serious threat to the Partenopei’s plans is Milan. They are leaning toward keeping Stefano Pioli, but their decision isn’t final yet. Instead, Juventus are zeroing in on Thiago Motta to eventually succeed Massimiliano Allegri.

If Napoli couldn’t land Conte, they’d either appoint Vincenzo Italiano or seek ways to retain Francesco Calzona. The current manager would be the least expensive of the lot and is well-regarded inside the club.