FRank DE bOER

Former Ajax boss took over from Roberto Mancini as coach of Internazionale two weeks before the start of the Serie A campaign.

The changes were one of the first acts of Inter’s new owners, the Chinese electronics giant Suning, who splashed out 270m for a 68.55 per cent stake in the club in June, effectively taking over ownership from Erick Thohir, the Indonesian who bought a majority shareholding from historic Inter owner Massimo Moratti three years ago.

Mancini’s departure did not exactly come out of the blue. Reportedly sidelined and left out of the loop regarding transfer activity. Many at Inter were disappointed with a fourth-place finish last season after they had been top at Christmas. Club insiders felt that in his second season in charge – and with a squad of players largely of his own choosing: Marcelo Brozovic, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Felipe Melo, Ivan Perisic, Jeison Murillo and Miranda to name just a few – Mancini might have done better.

His cause was hardly helped by some poor friendly results, with Inter losing to CSKA Sofia, Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich and, most embarrassingly, 6-1 to Tottenham Hotspur.

Paddy Agnew