August looks to be a month of major upheaval for Inter for the third year running.
This according to today’s print edition of Turin-based newspaper Tuttosport, who report that the month in which the Serie A season begins and the summer transfer window is one of drama and uncertainty for the Nerazzurri, but that by now they’re used to this.
In August of 2020, Inter lost a back-and-forth Europa League final to Sevilla to miss out on a first trophy under Antonio Conte, but the waters didn’t get any calmer from there as the coach was then linked with an exit.
In the end Conte decide to stay another season, but the tension that characterized his situation at the club never really dissipated, and despite having guided the Nerazzurri to their first Serie A title in eleven seasons in his second campaign in charge, he left almost immediately after that.
If the period immediately following Conte’s departure had been a tumultuous one for Inter, by the end of July things looked to have settled down as his replacement Simone Inzaghi had went to work steadying the ship and building for the new season.
This was all changed when Chelsea came in to sign Inter striker Romelu Lukaku, with the Belgian’s shock departure having felt like a whirlwind process.
The sale of Lukaku left Inter and Inzaghi scrambling throughout the final weeks of the transfer window and with the season already well underway, leading to yet another hectic month in which little was certain about the future.
This time around, it is another transfer saga of one of Inter’s key players, defender Milan Skriniar, that is the biggest source of uncertainty at the club, whilst the defensive issues that have emerged in preseason have further highlighted how damaging the Slovakian’s departure could be.
The transfer window had looked to be a smooth one by Inter’s standards during its initial phases, with the club calmly working to bring in reinforcements in key areas and preparing to make a sale of a big player like Skriniar, whilst the surprise return of Lukaku added further positivity to the atmosphere.
The failure to sign targets Bremer and Paulo Dybala last month saw Inter’s transfer window go off the rails a bit, however, particularly given that the former had been the player earmarked to replace Skriniar like-for-like if the Slovakian were to be sold.
Now, it looks as though the will at the club is to keep hold of Skrniar given his importance to the team, but the feeling is that if Paris Saint-Germain are to really push for his signature like Chelsea did with Lukaku then all bets are off.
By now, Inter are used to having an August like this, but this doesn’t make it any less nerve-wracking, and this anxiety will remain up until the transfer window slams shut and Skriniar’s situation is secure, while the team’s initial performances on the pitch could give further reassurance.
Until then, however, August has been and will continue to be a difficult month for Inter as it has been the past couple goes around.
