Inter have sold two of their best young players in an attempt to keep Milan Skriniar and Denzel Dumfries, a painful but necessary strategy, writes Richard Hall.
It was late, it was magical but at the same time, it was a cloak that hid many issues of that day. Denzel Dumfries’ last-gasp goal against Lecce was like a beautiful kiss after a very bad date. The Nerazzurri’s season will not be decided by the 1-2 win they endured under the sweltering lights at the Stadio Via del Mare but it did show certain characteristics that have made fans of the Milan club happy over the last few seasons.
The will to fight to the end has been obvious but there has always been the fear that they need to sell players. Dumfries has been touted as being one that may be sold. However, the Nerazzurri seem able to avoid his sale and, in turn, keep what arguably is the best squad in Serie A.
Milan Skriniar looks to be staying (at the time of writing) and Simone Inzaghi has insisted that Inter are not a selling club. This isn’t strictly true, as it seems that the underused and arguably abused youth system (nobody gets through) has actually turned into a ‘cash cow’ that has allowed them to acquire approximately €160m in the last five years.
Warnings often come from ex-players such as Giuseppe Bergomi, Lothar Matthaus and many more legends of the club and one should always listen when any player with a vested interest talks. Fellow Dutchman Andy Van der Meyde has recently spoken with La Gazzetta dello Sport about Dumfries and insisted it would be a mistake to sell.
Inter have let talents go but it seems that their current financial state means they have changed the approach. Now, it seems that the underused young players will go and that means they can keep this winning team. But is that a business model?
Selling Andrea Pinamonti to Sassuolo may seem like good business. He wasn’t playing and is perhaps not that young anymore. Maybe this made sense as it allowed Beppe Marotta to gather revenue to keep players like Dumfries, who had been linked to Chelsea. Van de Meyde said to Gazzetta: “They should just say no, thank you,” adding that Inzaghi needs Denzel to stick around to win the title. The opening Serie A game proved him right.
The strategy is correct in the present but we need to go back to business models and Inter’s approach. The future of Suning is far from clear and the Nerazzurri are selling young talents to stop having to sell their stars such as Achraf Hakimi or Romelu Lukaku, who has now returned to the club.
This could make sense for the next two seasons, but what then? Anyone reading this remembers Nicolò Zaniolo and his move to Roma in the deal that brought Radja Nainggolan under the Madonnina. The Italian starlet has become one of the best talents in the country and there could be more regrets for Benamata in the future.
Sebastiano Esposito is a huge talent as is Lucien Agoume. Gabriel Brazao has potential. Not everyone is a world-beater but these are promising talents. Matias Fonseca is another talent but perhaps not as much as Martin Satriano. These players are on loan, but selling them further down the line to prop your team up with ‘season veterans’ like Arturo Vidal and Ashley young (and others) in the past does not work. It is simply unsustainable and in the future, with the Primavera, you will have a bad crop. What then?
Inter fans appreciate the financial complexities of their current situation and it seemed incredible to sell the likes of Cesare Casadei to Chelsea but there was no alternative. No team, whether Manchester United, Juventus or whoever, can sustain being on top for eternity. Youth players matter and there is a mix and a compromise.
It is understandable to move on other players like Pinamonti if you get to keep Dumfries as he is crucial but don’t make this a habit. Inter’s NextGen team under Andrea Stramaccioni could have been something but Inter only operate in the here and now. The Nerazzurri need to accept sacrifices with the current financial situation and youth players are better off leaving than the likes of Skriniar and Dumfries but this is not a sustainable business model. Perhaps the way to move forward is to transition the youth players in a more measured approach and save yourselves a huge fortune in the future.
@RichHall80
some clubs sell their youth squad players (real madrid, inter), some bring them up to the first team (barca), some are mixed (chelsea). no right or wrong answer on how to manage youth squads.
Money talks and bull walks. If a team is short on money that have to sell their youth players. Is that approach right? Sometimes.
Why are we talking about Zaniolo like he was some huge loss? He’s clearly completely unable to stay healthy and is therefore completely useless for large chunks of each season.
Inters youth players mostly turn out to be a flop anyway. If they can bring in a good player by sacrificing their youth, then do it.
The goal was to keep the starters and improve the depth – target reached.
Perisic is Inter`s biggest loss but they have prepared for it by signing Gosens.
To answer your question: Satriano is destined to be next in this PlusValenza game