Italian Journalist Fabrizio Biasin: “Sandro Tonali Was One Step From Inter But Club Signed Vidal & Kolarov To Make Conte Happy”

Italian journalist Fabrizio Biasin feels that the decision by Inter to sign Arturo Vidal and Aleksandar Kolarov in the summer 0f 2020 over Sandro Tonali is a moment that continues to have consequences.

Writing in his column for Italian news outlet TuttoMercatoWeb, Biasin gave the view that the club prioritized bringing in veterans Vidal and Kolarov at the behest of coach Antonio Conte.

Tonali’s departure from Brescia always appeared inevitable after the club were relegated at the end of the 2019-20 season, and the Nerazzurri had been strongly linked with a move for him.

However, despite Inter being in what looked like pole position for Tonali’s signature they never got a deal over the line, and instead brought in Vidal and Kolarov who then-coach Conte had identified as players who could reinfroce the team to compete for the Serie A title.

Conte did guide the Nerazzurri to the title with those two players in the squad last season, but in letting Tonali join city rivals AC Milan, the decision may have given the Rossoneri the strength to beat Inter to the title this time around.

“There was a moment not too long ago when Sandro Tonali was one step away from Inter,” Biasin writes.

“It looked to be a question of finding the right formula to satisfy Cellino at Brescia and the Nerazzurri would have a young talent to nurture,” he goes on.

“It was the summer of 2020, the ‘pandemic’ summer,” he continues, “in which Conte, after losing the Europa League final, banged his fist and got angry with the directors, saying that ‘we have to fix the team!'”

“Then at the famous meeting at Villa Bellini, the parties choose to continue on the path together and they came to an agreement,” Biasin goes on.

“The coach accepts that the transfer market is not one that allows for being spending and is one where opportunities must be seized, the club allows him to sign players later in their careers but ‘functional to his ideas of football.'”

“And then Inter reluctantly give up on Tonali,” he goes on. “And they bring Aleksandar Kolarov (34 years old at the time) and Arturo Vidal (33 years old at the time) to Milan.”

“Vidal, who a few days earlier had said more or less publicly, ‘If Juve calls I’ll be there,'” he notes. “But then he chose the Nerazzurri and a salary of around €7 million net per season.”