Can Inter stop their self destruction during the summer transfer window?

Can Inter stop their self destruction during the summer transfer window?
2017-23-05 - 13:45
My favourite columns to write are those that combine football with pop culture, and sometimes the connections between a player with a film or rock band are pretty obvious. But then there are instances when inspiration can strike at unexpected times. Considering that last week I wrote a more conventional column previewing Milan’s summer transfer market, I was planning on following the same format for Inter this week- but then I went to see Metallica at Gillete Stadium on Friday night… 
 
The first song they played, the title track from their brilliant new album, summed up all that is wrong with Inter: a club that despite having considerable financial strength simply cannot get out of their own way. Metallica inspired me to change the theme of the column, and now you’ll see why. On “Hardwired” James Hetfield sings:
 
“In the name of desperation,
In the name of wretched pain
In the name of all creation gone insane
We’re so F%$&ed, Shit Outta Luck
Hardwired to self destruct”
 
The Hardwired to self destruct part pretty much sums up Inter’s modus operandi since winning the treble under Mourinho. The club has more than lived up to their nickname of “Pazza Inter” (Crazy Inter) in recent years with a series of puzzling decisions that culminated with bringing in someone like Frank de Boer who had no connection to Italian football, just two weeks before the season started- it almost felt like the nerazzurri were deliberately sabotaging their potential success.


The chaos has continued in recent months as well, just recently Inter hired former Roma sporting director Walter Sabatini to work for Inter’s ownership group Suning right after giving their current sporting director an extension- to Piero Ausilio it must feel like he has a Master of Puppets to oversee his work. If that weren't’t enough, Inter made their third coaching change of the season and are now still scrambling to find the right manager to start a new cycle next season.
 
It’s amazing to think that just two months ago Inter looked well positioned to challenge Juventus next season. Ausilio hit a home run by signing Roberto Gagliardini during the January window, Stefano Pioli appeared to have righted the ship and on his watch players like D’Ambrosio and Kondogbia improved so much that they looked like building blocks for the future, but now it feels like Inter is back to square One, and that darkness is imprisoning their fans once again.
 
In addition to chaos on the management side and poor results on the pitch, it also looks like Inter has lost a lot of their momentum on the transfer market (but don’t worry aside from these three things everything is going great). Back in February it looked very likely that the nerazzurri would sign Ricardo Rodriguez and Kostas Manolas to bolster the defence, and in recent weeks they looked like the favourites to sign very promising striker Patrik Schick- it now looks like very likely that Inter will see Rodriguez and Schick sign with their two biggest rivals but the Memory of their pursuit Remains.


Just when it looked like Rodriguez was in the bag, Inter decided to focus their attention on Udinese defender Samir as an alternative- a rather puzzling development considering that the Brazilian player is more suited to playing as centre back in a 3 man back-line than as a pure left back. To literally add insult to injury, Samir than suffered a knee injury and in the meantime Milan became the overwhelming favourite to sign Rodriguez. Inter was also trying to leverage their great relationship with Sampdoria to complete the Schick deal, but now Juventus has taken the lead in the race.
 
For Kostas Manolas there’s now a lot less momentum for him to join Inter especially after the nerazzurri are now the favourites to sign Real Madrid centre back Pepe once his contract expires in June. While the Portuguese defender would certainly bring experience and is a much better value signing (at least in the short term) he would be more a temporary solution who also has the slight potential of being a repeat of the disastrous Vidic signing. When you consider that Miranda has really struggled in 2017, that Murillo has developed some Ranocchia like tendencies and that Medel is expected to return to the midfield, Inter will likely have to look for another centre back even if Pepe signs.


But without having the right manager, it feels like Nothing Else Matters at Inter since they’ve squandered so much talent in recent years. Hiring Luciano Spalletti would have the advantage of likely helping the momentum with Manolas (especially after Inter already added Sabatini who signed him when he was at Roma). But seeing the former Zenit manager at la Pinetina would certainly feel like a let down for most Inter fans after the club had been heavily linked to Conte, Simeone and more recently Pochettino. While Inter can certainly offer all three coaches a massive salary (and both Conte and Simeone would have personal reasons to accept), they aren’t a more attractive destination than those manager’s current club.


But enough with all the negativity, there are also some reasons for optimism this summer for Inter. We all know of Inter’s financial strength- net of sales they outspent Juventus considerably last year, and now with Sabatini on board there’s hope they would better spend the 90 million they invested in Candreva, Gabigol and Joao Mario. Inter is much more likely than Juventus to sign either Domenico Berardi and or Federico Bernardeschi, who would bring a significant upgrade up front. Inter could also get back at Juve for the Schick situation by pulling the trigger on Lyon’s Tolisso- a player Juventus has less urgency to sign since their formation change.
 
Aside from Manolas, Inter will continue to negotiate with Roma since they’re interested in Strootman, Nainggolan and Rudiger- there could be the potential for a substantial deal since the giallorossi could have interest in Murillo and Joao Mario. As an alternative to Manolas, Inter could sign his cross town rival Stefan de Vrij who has just one year left on his deal- it certainly doesn't’t hurt that the nerazzurri have done a lot of business with Lazio in recent years. Inter could try to strike another deal with Atalanta by trying to sign Gagliardini’s former teammate Andrea Conti, arguably the best right back in Serie A this season (he is also being pursued by Milan).


Inter’s financial strength and the appeal of living in Milano will certainly make Inter players for big names across Europe this summer. They could jump into the race for Alexis Sanchez, Angel Di Maria and James Rodriguez, and use their excellent relationships with the agents who represent numerous of Monaco’s jewels like Mendy, Fabinho, Bernardo Silva and Lemar. 
 
On the outgoing side, Mauro Icardi pledged his love for Inter and isn’t likely to leave despite the fact he has an exit clause of around 110 million euro valid until early July (even if a club was willing to pay it, the Argentine striker would have to accept the destination). Inter could however decide to cash in on Ivan Perisic, who turned 28 this year and has numerous suitors in the Premier League. It will also be interesting to see if Samir Handanovic pushes to leave to finally play in the Champions League. Brozovic will likely be taking his ability to infuriate fans with Instagram posts to another team after losing his starting job to Gagliardini. Inter will also likely lose older players like Palacio and Carrizo while Gabigol will almost certainly push to play more elsewhere.


So while the past two months have been brutal for Inter fans so much so that it feels like Metallica were talking about them on this part of Hardwired “Do you feel that hope is fading? Do you comprehend? Do you feel it terminating? In the end?”, there are also some reasons for optimism- Sabatini will bring his acumen on the transfer market and Suning has great resources, the hope is now that Inter will stop self destructing…



David Amoyal