INTERNAZIONALE
Conte trying to build on last term
Most keepers of the Nerazzurri faith would concur that 2019-20 was Inter’s best season for a decade. Spearheaded by the prolific front line of Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez, the men in the black-and-blue stripes frequently proved irresistible, coming within a whisker of beating Juve to the Serie A crown and making lots of headway in the Europa League, losing 3-2 in the final to Sevilla. Strange then that coach Antonio Conte was visibly disgruntled at the end of the campaign, claiming that the club had offered him “little protection”. Rumours abounded during the summer that he was about to walk away, though all would calm down again following a face-to-face with club president Steven Zhang.
As a consequence of the summit, Conte has taken control of Inter’s transfer plans. For the most part, his picks have been senior service types: 33-year-old Chilean all-action midfielder Arturo Vidal (ex-Barca), Serbian left-back Aleksandar Kolarov (34, Roma) and another highprofile Chilean in attacker Alexis Sanchez, who has now sealed a permanent deal.
Probably Inter’s wisest move, though, was capturing 21-year-old Morocco wingback Achraf Hakimi. During a two-year loan spell at Dortmund from Real Madrid, he developed into a quite sensational performer, especially valuable when bursting forward on the counter-attack.