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Powerful blow: has Al-Hilal backed away from Inzaghi's dream in the transfer window?

Transfer market troubles shatter the Italian coach's dreams

Al-Hilal look set to close their summer window without granting one of the key wishes of their Italian coach Simone Inzaghi. His plan to strengthen the right wing has hit complex financial and technical obstacles, turning the awaited deal into a dream postponed until at least next winter.

The Saudi club had already bolstered the left flank by signing Dutchman Crysencio Summerville. Inzaghi wanted to complete his attacking project with a foreign right winger to give the team extra options in the final third. That has not happened.

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Stalled negotiations
Al-Hilal spent the past few weeks chasing Everton's Senegalese winger Iliman Ndiaye. Negotiations stalled, though, when the English club dug in on a hefty fee to let their player go.
Elsewhere, the Al-Hilal hierarchy drew a blank with several alternatives. Some deals carried too high a price tag. Other clubs simply refused to release their stars before the season kicked off.
Spending habits at Saudi clubs have shifted since the early days of the Public Investment Fund project. Deals now face far tighter financial scrutiny, and that has made pulling off a signing of this magnitude a tougher job for Al-Hilal.

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Inzaghi's dream hangs in the balance
The latest developments point one way: Al-Hilal are leaning towards sticking with the current squad and shelving the idea of signing a new foreign winger until the winter window, rather than committing to high-cost deals that clash with the club's present vision.
Complicating matters, Al-Hilal have yet to resolve the situation of Uruguayan striker Darwin Nunez, who still fills a spot in the foreign quota. That leaves the club with fewer options to register any new arrival.
Should Nunez stay until the mercato closes, Al-Hilal will have no choice but to open the season with the squad they have. Inzaghi's dream of strengthening the right wing would then be put on hold, pending a fresh move in the winter or a sudden twist in the final days of the market.
Options on the right flank
Al-Hilal may have stalled in their pursuit of a new foreign winger, but they are hardly short of bodies out wide. Several players can fill the right flank next season.
Malcom leads that list. The Brazilian's future remains up in the air, with speculation persisting over a possible exit before the window shuts.
Inzaghi's staff have other cards to play too. Sultan Mandash is comfortable on either flank, new signing Crysencio Summerville can shift to the right when needed, and rising French talent Simon Bouabre is waiting for a bigger chance to stake his claim in the first team.
Numbers, though, were never the issue. Inzaghi wanted a specialist winger to hand him fresh solutions, and that ambition still stands, even if it has to wait until the winter window.