“Big Marcus” Thuram has managed to erase the bitter taste of the Romelu Lukaku summer saga at Inter Milan.

This is the view in today’s print edition of Turin-based newspaper Tuttosport, via FCInterNews.

Inter’s summer transfer window was full of surprises, and not all of them were pleasant ones.

The most dramatic concerned the fate of striker Lukaku.

“Big Rom” had always seemed destined to make the return to Inter on a permanent basis. The Nerazzurri had even managed to negotiate an agreement with his club Chelsea on a deal.

But then, the revelation that Lukaku had been negotiating with Juventus, and the fact that he had suddenly stopped returning phone calls from Inter at the decisive moments, saw the Nerazzurri abruptly and angrily pull the plug on bringing him back.

In the end, Lukaku’s story ended with the 30-year-old joining Roma this summer.

And for Inter, the whole debacle threatened to derail their summer.

“Big Marcus” Thuram Erasing The Memory Of Lukaku At Inter Milan

Inter had already signed Thuram on a free transfer even before the situation with Lukaku came to pass.

The plan had been to bring back Lukaku whilst also adding Thuram. The Frenchman was, if anything, more of a replacement for Edin Dzeko than for Lukaku.

But with the Belgian out of the picture, Inter’s strategy seems to have changed somewhat.

Marko Arnautovic arrived from Bologna instead of Lukaku. Meanwhile, Inter invested the fee they’d earmarked for Lukaku into a move for defender Benjamin Pavard.

That naturally put a lot of weight of expectation onto Thuram’s shoulders.

There isn’t an experienced option in a starting role alongside Lautaro Martinez like Lukaku or Dzeko. Thuram has had to adapt fast.

But with his two goals to cap off some outstanding early form, Thuram has made it look like Inter have little to worry about.

The Lukaku saga may have left a bitter taste in the mouth for Inter. But that’s something they can already to consign to the past as they focus on their new number nine.