Inter risk a nasty domino effect if they lose Antonio Conte as head coach, a report in the Italian media warned today.
Corriere della Sera’s print edition said Conte’s departure could trigger a ‘chain reaction’ that would be difficult to control, with many players likely to consider their futures and ask to leave.
Losing Conte would be a big sign of weakness for Suning and their project and would force Inter to begin next season with reduced ambitions.
In addition to key players, Conte’s exit could also persuade Beppe Marotta to leave, because Inter’s chief executive might not be willing to face another season full of trouble like this one.
Conte is continuing his media silence ahead of tomorrow’s Derby d’Italia at Juventus, with Inter’s boss unwilling to discuss any of the current off-field issues.
According to this report, Conte could remain in silence until the end of the season while he waits for clarity from Suning about Inter’s future.
Conte has an excellent relationship with Inter’s players and he does not want to see the squad taken apart for economic reasons, but Inter might have to sell players to balance the books.
Lautaro Martinez and Alessandro Bastoni are the most likely to leave if such a sacrifice is required, the report added.
Elsewhere, Inter need their €250 million loan deal to arrive so they can pay out their remaining player salaries worth €75 million.
Those who are out of contract in the summer are likely to reject Steven Zhang’s request for wage cuts, but the others could agree to defer the installments into next season.
