Ex-Nerazzurri Defender Fulvio Collovati: “Milan Skriniar As Valuable To Inter As A 20-25 Goal Striker”

Former Inter and AC Milan defender Fulvio Collovati feels that the loss of Milan Skriniar would be equivalent to losing a prolific striker for the Nerazzurri.

Speaking to Italian news outlet FCInter1908, Collovati stressed the importance of a top-level defender in modern football, and gave the view that Skriniar is undoubtedly such a player and a rare one at that.

Skriniar has been heavily linked with an exit for much of the past few weeks, until a week or so ago when the circumstances seemed to abruptly shift in direction.

The failure to sign Bremer has made the Nerazzurri seriously rethink whether they could cope with the Slovakian leaving, and this has coincided with the interest from some of Europe’s elite, particularly Paris Saint-Germain, cooling down singificantly.

Collovati gave his thoughts on the matter, stating that “In modern football, the importance of a top-class defender is almost equal to that of a 20-25 goal striker. There aren’t many players like that, Inter would certainly lose a lot.”

Asked about Atalanta’s Merih Demiral and Fiorentina’s Nikola Milenkovic as possible replacements for the Slovakian, he said that “On paper they convince me, but I know how Skriniar not only plays in defense but also plays the supporting role that Simone Inzaghi asks of him.”

“It would be necessary to see if they can do the same when Inter have the ball,” he said of prospective replacements for Skriniar.

Of missing out on Bremer to Juventus, Collovati said that “I share the disappointment of the Inter fans. There had been talk of Skriniar’s farewell for months, and Inter should have gone to Bremer first.”

“I wouldn’t have let the chance to sign Dybala slip,” he continued, “but when you find yourself operating under certain conditions, it’s normal for the directors to have these kinds of difficulties.”

And asked whether he thinks that Inter could still be Scudetto contenders without Skriniar, Collovati opined, “Inter have already fought for the Scudetto, they will have the duty to do so again against Milan who want to defend their title and Juventus who will want to return to the top after the transfer window they’ve had.”