Inter were the Kings of Milan last year after they romped to the Serie A title. 12 months is a long time in football though and now they’re in the shadow of their city rivals, AC.
When they won the league in 2021, it had been an 11-year wait; they don’t want that again. With that in mind, we look at how they can get back on top sooner rather than later – even if their financial belt needs to be tightened!
Inter must keep up in the transfer market
Yeah, modern-day football has a lot to do with how well you recruit in the transfer market. Unfortunately for Inter, they’re likely to be up against at least two sides that are going to be very active in that space. AC Milan is expecting a hectic summer.
Inter fans might point to key players – such as Franck Kessie – leaving the club but they’ll still be throwing some funds around and so will another of Italy’s mega clubs – Juventus.
Juve has been under par for a couple of years now and they’ll be desperate to avoid it becoming another under-par season when 2022/23 rolls around.
They’ve already made their move to sign Paul Pogba, who has previously starred in Turin, whilst links with Filip Kostic, Arsenal defender Gabriel, and Leandro Paredes show their ambitious plans for an overhaul.
Nonetheless, according to the following sportsbook, Inter is still one of the big favorites to win the Scudetto next season: https://www.bovada.lv/
Ok, but what do Inter need from the market?
With AC and Juventus likely to make big moves, Inter will need to do the same. Paulo Dybala is one name that’s been mentioned; he’d be a great signing whilst his departure is also a big loss to Juve. Dybala has a scoring record of 98 in 270 in Serie A but Inter will need to fight off Roma for his signature. Regardless of how the Dybala saga plays out, this team probably needs goals.
Yes, we know that sounds bonkers when they were the top scorers in the league but bear with us. Inter dropped points in 10 games between late October and the end of the season; they failed to score more than once in any of those games.
It’s also worth pointing out that Inter had the highest expected goals in the entire league too.
So, whilst they scored the most they actually underperformed based on the volume of chances created. Now, throw on top of that the fact that Edin Dzeko is getting on and Lautaro Martinez is being linked with a move away and things don’t look quite so rosy.
In fact, with all things considered, even if the aforementioned duo do stay and do produce the goods again next season, an extra out and out goal scorer won’t do any harm.
So, who are the possible options? Duvan Zapata has been linked. He’s bagged double figures in Serie A for six seasons in a row.
Zapata could definitely do a job for Simone Inzaghi’s men but he’s still got a couple of years to run on his Atalanta deal so would cost a hefty chunk of money; that could be an issue. A cheaper alternative could be found in Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan is available on a free after leaving Atletico Madrid.
Defensive reinforcements
At the backend of the pitch, it’s a fairly similar story for Inter. They’ve got some quality in their ranks – particularly at centre back – with the likes of Milan Skriniar and Alessandro Bastoni. Like their attack, their defensive record was one of the best in the league last season.
Again though, the number of goals they conceded slightly glosses over things because bar bottom club Venezia, Inter outperformed their expected goals against more than any other side; that tells you they were either let off by lacklustre finishing or kept in games through above-average goalkeeping by Samir Handanovic.
They won’t get away with that every time though and that means defensive reinforcements are needed. Those needs will intensify if any exits occur and Stefan de Vrij, in particular, is being heavily linked with the exit door.
Inter though are looking at a couple of targets both for the immediate benefit and long term planning perspective. The key man is Gleison Bremer of Torino. The 24-year-old has just been named Serie A’s defender of the year and would add a real steel to the Nerazzurri backline.
Final verdict
Inter do need to be active this summer in the market. There is a need to bring in a couple of new faces to add extra competition and depth but, let’s not get this wrong. Providing they don’t have a fire sale of their best assets, this side finished second in Serie A falling just two points short of winning the Scudetto.
If managed correctly, there is no open-heart surgery needed; a gentle rehab should be more than enough to see them competitive at the top again.