Inter could decide to make Andre Onana the first-choice goalkeeper in Serie A next season while keeping captain Samir Handanovic as the Number One in cup competitions.
This according to today’s print edition of Turin-based newspaper Tuttosport, who report that the Nerazzurri are thinking about splitting the duties of the two keepers across competitions.
Inter have been considering a setup where duties are split between two keepers across league and cup competitions for a couple seasons, but the backups to Handanovic have not convinced.
Daniele Padelli has not been considered up to the task, whilst Andrei Radu’s first start of last season in the Coppa Italia round of sixteen clash with Empoli did not convince and saw Handanovic reinstated to the start in the rest of the matches in that competition.
However, in Onana the Nerazzurri are bringing in a keeper of a higher level who is not just a backup to the current captain but the man who is expected to succeed the Slovenian in goal in the long term.
Handanovic will be 38 at the start of next season, but as of yet he is not ready to see his role in the team reduced too much, and he has not signed a contract extension purely to be the backup while Onana settles in.
The Slovenian’s new deal is for one season as it stands, and sees him earn €2.5 million net per season, down from the €3.2 million net per season he earned last season.
The captain still expects to have a major role in the team, with this having been an important condition for him to sign an extension, and things will be assessed once the squad starts returning to preseason training at the start of next month.
One real possibility would be that Onana is given the responsibilities in Serie A whilst Handanovic is the starting keeper for the Coppa Italia and the Champions League.
