Former Inter, Sampdoria, and Brescia goalkeeper Luca Castellazzi believes that Inter should prioritize having both Andre Onana and Samir Handanovic in the squad for next season.
Speaking to Italian news outlet L’Interista, the 46-year-old gave the view that the Nerazzurri should look to have two different starting-quality players for the goalkeeper position once Onana arrives.
Inter are all set to sign Onana on a free transfer when his contract with Ajax runs out at the end of June, having long identified the Cameroonian as their preferred successor to captain Samir Handanovic between the sticks.
The 25-year-old has been earmarked as a player for the future at Inter, but this does not necessarily mean that Handanovic will no longer be a part of the plans at the club.
The Slovenian has already been offered a new contract with his current deal expiring at the end of June, though it remains to be seen whether he decides to accept, and whether he will still start regularly in the event that he does.
“I think Onana is a very good signing,” Castellazzi stated. “He is a modern goalkeeper. He has great athletic ability, he is very good at using both feet, and reads the game well.”
“I am also convinced that Inter still need Handanovic,” he went on. “Having two ‘starters’ in the squad is essential for a team that faces such a busy schedule, between the league and cup competitions.”
He added that “At a top club you can be decisive even if you only play ten or fifteen matches a year.”
Of tomorrow’s Serie A clashes with Lazio the former keeper gave the view that “You never know what will happen in the first match back from the break.”
“Inter have not played in a while, and as a result we don’t know how the team has been training together in the past few days,” he explained.
“Inter must try and repeat the consistency that they showed during the first round of matches,” he continued, “solidity, playing good football and getting the right results.”
“The strength that Inter showed in the first 19 matches is the result of tremendous work, both in the technical and tactical side,” he went on.
“They have also found a new psychological confidence,” he continued. “This has allowed them to go into all their matches feeling very proactive and confident.”
“With their difficult start to the second round of fixtures they will have to show all of the qualities that they did in the first half of the season all over again,” Castellazzi stated.
“Head-to-head matches with direct rivals are serious challenges from a technical and mental point of view,” he added. “They give a clearer indication of which teams truly have Scudetto credentials.”
Looking ahead to the Champions League round of sixteen tie against Liverpool, the former keeper stated that “Unfortunately, the draw gave us a nasty surprise, and we’ve gotten maybe the toughest opponent we could.”
“They play quick, high-quality football,” he said of the Reds. “It will be essential to make as few individual and tactical errors as possible errors over 180 minutes, because Klopp’s team have shown the ability to create danger from any situation.”
“It will be a tricky matchup,” he reflected, “but these kinds of matches are an important part of growing in Europe.”
