Legendary former Inter goalkeeper Walter Zenga feels that even though Inter have guaranteed themselves decent fees for the likes of striker Andrea Pinamonti and Cesare Casadei, their sales represent a reluctance to trust young players.

Speaking to Italian broadcaster Sky Sport Italia, Zenga noted that the Nerazzurri have shown less of a willingness to invest in youth compared to teams abroad by being so willing to sell players with future potential.

Pinamonti’s transfer to Sassuolo was Inter’s first major sale of the summer, whilst Casadei looks all set to join Chelsea for a similar fee.

These two sales have brought in good-sized fees to help ease Inter’s financial woes, and have not represented sacrifices of players who are in the immediate plans for the squad.

However, as Zenga notes, their departures are emblematic of a larger trend in Italian football compared to other leagues, where clubs are more willing to use their money to invest in players for the future and not just the present.

“Inter sold Pinamonti and Casadei and pocketed €35 million,” he noted. “But if Casadei is so good, the question arises – if Casadei is good enough to end up at Chelsea why couldn’t he play here?”

He continued that “You wonder why they see players abroad and invest in them like this. The problem comes down to income and expenses.”