Inter Milan legend Walter Zenga feels that the whole transfer soap opera between the Nerazzurri and Romelu Lukaku could have been avoided if the player had simply made his intentions clear earlier.
Speaking to Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview published in yesterday’s print edition, via FCInterNews, Zenga gave his thoughts on the manner of the Belgian’s abrupt break with Inter.
It is not necessarily a shock that Lukaku. won’t be coming back to Inter next summer.
The Nerazzurri always looked to have a tough task on their hands convincing Chelsea to agree a deal.
However, Inter did manage to reach an agreement with the Blues according to reports.
Instead, it was the player whose antics have put a stop to the deal.
As it transpires, Lukaku has been in parallel negotiations with Juventus and AC Milan for weeks. This has led to a furious Inter completely withdrawing from talks for the Belgian striker.
The matter has created no small amount of controversy.
Inter Legend Walter Zenga Weighs In On Lukaku Debacle
Zenga observed that “I can’t recall a shock like this in football before.”
“Maybe Figo going from Barca to Real,” he considered.
“When I met him, he didn’t seem like this kind of person,” Zenga said of Lukaku. “So this is very disappointing.”
“Especially considering what he said in a very heartfelt interview – never Juve.”
“I understand what Marotta and Ausilio did,” Zenga said. “I can put myself in their shoes – days and days of negotiations with Chelsea, only to find out that in the meantime Lukaku or someone representing him was in talks with Milan and Juve.”
“To find out from Chelsea that there’s an offer from Juve,” he added. “It’s just wasted time. It’s how the transfer market is, but still…”
“Couldn’t he have done all this earlier?” Zenga posed.
“Did he really need to disappear, and not even respond to his teammates?”
“I’ve always looked people in the eye, I don’t run away from things.”
“Couldn’t he have just said when the season was over, ‘It’s been nice, but I’m going to go somewhere else?'”
“Maybe they would have even thanked him, and still stayed friends,” Zenga suggested.
The former keeper stated “How many top players have come and gone from Inter and Inter has always stayed the same?”
“I say let it go,” he added. “Turn the page, amen.”
“The only question is not where he goes next, but why he’s leaving,” Zenga argued. “For what, an extra €3 million per season? Was he afraid that Inter couldn’t find an agreement with Chelsea in time?”
“But Lukaku hasn’t explained it, and I don’t know if he ever will.”
“Now, he won’t be able to come to the San Siro and feel loved anymore,” Zenga added. “And I say that as someone who still can.”
“The only one to lose is him,” he said of the Belgian.
