Ciro Ferrara has shared his view on why Ademola Lookman would have struggled to fit into Inter Milan under Cristian Chivu.

Speaking to DAZN, via FCInter1908, the former Juventus and Napoli defender suggested that the Atalanta star “would have been on the bench” had he joined the Nerazzurri this season.

“Lookman maybe had the chance to go to Inter,” Ferrara said.

“But he would’ve ended up on the bench.

“To fit him in, you’d have to change too much: the formation, the structure and the habits of players who already know their roles perfectly.”

Chivu has received lots of praise on Sunday.

The coach guided the Nerazzurri to a 4-1 win over Cremonese on Saturday evening.

Chivu put his faith in young forward Ange-Yoan Bonny, who made his first start for Inter.

Bonny followed Chivu from Parma to Inter in the summer.

He picked up three assists and a goal in the victory against Davide Nicola’s side.

Ferrara: “Lookman Would Be On The Bench For Chivu At Inter”

Ademola Lookman Atalanta
BERGAMO, ITALY – MAY 25: Ademola Lookman of Atalanta BC looks on during the Serie A match between Atalanta BC and Parma Calcio 1913 at Gewiss Stadium on May 25, 2025 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

Ferrara then pointed to specific examples within Chivu’s system.

“Think about Bastoni – you move him into a back four and he struggles a bit more.

Same for Dimarco, who’s a pure wing-back. Changing the shape just to fit one player in would’ve created too many doubts.”

He argues adding Lookman would have forced Chivu to alter his tactics that have helped bring results to Inter.

Inter were linked with Lookman throughout the summer and were close to a move for the Nigerian.

However, the Nerazzurri refused to meet La Dea’s demands of €50 million for the player and he returned to Bergamo.