Inter In Shambles

After winning the Supercoppa, I had written an article that the triumph merely covered the cracks that are emerging. In the aftermath of that triumph, news has emerged that Milan Skriniar will not be extending his contract and would thus be allowed to leave on a free transfer in the summer. It is a huge loss for Inter and their management as they would have got a big fee for selling him in the previous summer. Not to mention, the status of being an indispensable member of the team and a fan favourite. Like many Inter fans, I was troubled to hear the rumour of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)'s interest in him. I prayed the deal will not take place and Inter would get him to extend his contract just as our directors, Beppe Marotta and Piero Ausilio thought would be the case. 

Just before the game, Skriniar's agent conducted an interview stating that Inter was looking to cash in on him in the summer and they rejected Inter's contract offer as it didn't meet their financial request. At the moment, it doesn't appear that Inter would cash in on Skriniar in this window, choosing to lose him on a free transfer in the summer. When the deal failed to materialise in the previous summer, PSG's President, Naseer Al-Khelaifi expressed his confidence that the deal will be concluded for free this summer and it appears that he has won this game of bluff. 

Inter are not only losing a defender that has been integral to their recent success and has been an undoubted hit since joined us. He is also our captain now that the actual captain, Samir Handanovic has been downgraded to second choice. In what could be his last appearance for Inter, he was sent off for collecting two yellow cards inside the first 40 minutes of the game. There is no other way to describe this situation as an absolute shitshow. I wish I had a more polite word to describe the situation but I can't find one. 

This season could officially signal the start of Inter's decline. Since winning the Scudetto, Suning Group has backtracked on their ambitions after they became bankrupt. The common line repeated is on managing the finances while staying competitive on the field. While the club has continued winning, the best players are being picked apart and being replaced by signings that have not worked out. Robin Gosens is not the player he was after his major injury. Joaquin Correa has also not worked out; he blew hot and cold last season but this season he has been invisible. Romelu Lukaku is also not the player he was. From yesterday's evidence, Raoul Bellanova needs time as a youngster to develop. 

Suning claimed that they can no longer invest in the club like they did for the first 5 years and that is fine if they didn't start picking apart the team starting from Achraf Hakimi. It appears that he was the first player sacrificed to raise funds. He might have left because he didn't agree to reduced wages. If we had kept Hakimi, extended Ivan Perisic's contract and only sold Lukaku for a big fee because he wanted to move, we wouldn't have been in the situation we find ourselves in today. We are far off top spot but have already won one trophy and could add another to equal last season's trophy haul. We could go further than we did last season in the Champions League. If this did happen, it would appear that we have a better season than the previous one. But in the league, I don't think we will get close to Napoli. The objective is to finish in the Champions League positions and finish as high as possible. I fear that the team is degenerating and the owners should either start reinvesting again like they used to or sell the club to someone that is in a more stable situation financially.