The emergence of young talents like Kristjan Asllani and Raoul Bellanova is a symbol of a greater focus on youth at Inter this summer, according to Italian media.
This according to today’s print edition of Rome-based newspaper Corriere dello Sport, who label this a “rejuvenated Inter” and note that the average age of the squad has gone down nearly a full year this summer, whilst the club are also increasingly focused on academy graduates.
The departures of veterans like Arturo Vidal, Aleksandar Kolarov, Matias Vecino, Andrea Ranocchia, and Ivan Perisic and their replacement with younger players has meant that Inter’s average squad age has been reduced from 29.16 to 28.45 so far.
33-year-old Henrikh Mkhitaryan has come in on a free transfer, whilst Alexis Sanchez who is the same age is still expected to leave, and Asllani and Bellanova in particular have been signed partly because their age means that they have significant room to grow.
Not only this, but among the presumed first-choice eleven for the upcoming season, only Stefan de Vrij is 30 or older among outfield players, whilst captain Samir Handanovic is 37.
The overall trend is clear as the Nerazzurri put their faith in younger players rather than veterans, whilst the insistence on keeping hold of the futures of youngsters from the academy like Cesare Casadei in the form of buyback options has also been noted.
Inter have clearly been aiming to avoid another situation like that when they lost Nicolo Zaniolo to Roma for good, as they want their top academy prospects to be part of a rejuvenated and younger team.
