(Reuters) -Inter Milan appointed Cristian Chivu as coach on Monday in place of Simone Inzaghi who left following the Italian side's 5-0 Champions League final loss to Paris St Germain, with their former player signing a two-year deal.
Romanian Chivu, who left Parma after less than four months in charge, played as a defender for Inter for seven years and was part of Jose Mourinho's treble-winning side in 2010 before ending his playing career at the Serie A club in 2014.
"In February 2025, Cristian was given his first opportunity to coach a senior side at Parma... He led the Emilians to safety, with the team picking up 16 points from 13 matches under his guidance," Inter said in a statement.
"Now, Cristian Chivu is beginning the third chapter of his Nerazzurri story. And he's doing so with the values that have always guided him: dedication, sacrifice and a tireless work ethic."
Chivu's second Inter chapter started in 2018 when he returned, moving up through the ranks to manage the youth team and winning the league title in his first season in charge.
Although Chivu lacks the experience that Inzaghi brought to the role, the 44-year-old made an immediate impact at Parma by shoring up a defence which had been leaking goals, with his side conceding only 13 compared to 27 in the previous 13 games.
Parma performed better against the bigger sides under Chivu, beating Juventus, Bologna and Atalanta while earning draws against Inter, Lazio and Napoli.
Chivu's Parma also did Inter a huge favour on the penultimate matchday with a 0-0 draw against Napoli, but Inzaghi's side failed to take advantage, conceding a late penalty in a 2-2 draw with Lazio, and Napoli went on to become champions.
Inzaghi, who led Inter to the Scudetto in the previous campaign, ended last season trophyless, losing to neighbours AC Milan in the Coppa Italia semi-final, and the campaign ended with the humiliating loss to PSG in Munich.
Three days after that defeat, Inzaghi left Inter after four years at the helm, and joined Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal the next day.
Chivu's first challenge is the Club World Cup where Inter begin the tournament on June 17 when they take on Mexico's Monterrey in Los Angeles followed by two games in Seattle against Urawa Red Diamonds and River Plate.
(Reporting by Shifa Jahan in Bengaluru and Trevor Stynes, editing by Ed Osmond)
