Inter have officially released Samir Handanovic after 11 years, as they are looking to Yann Sommer and Anatoliy Trubin to replace Andre Onana. ‘The Nerazzurri family appreciate everything he’s done.’
His contract had expired on June 30, but the club kept him on ice while they discussed a potential new deal for the veteran.
However, it has now been decided that if Onana does leave for Manchester United, then Inter will sign two new goalkeepers, with first choices Sommer of Bayern Munich and Shakhtar Donetsk shot-stopper Trubin.
To confirm Handanovic’s exit, the club released a statement thanking the captain for his 11 years of service at San Siro, which saw him make 455 competitive appearances for the club.
The Slovenia international will be 39 on Friday and won the Serie A title, two editions of the Coppa Italia and two Italian Supercups for the Nerazzurri, all of those trophies in the last three years.
“A point of reference, a leader in the changing room, a courageous captain. Samir Handanovic has been all of these things in the eleven seasons he’s defended the Nerazzurri goal.
“He joined the Club on 9 July 2012 and, from the very first minute, displayed his exceptional technical qualities and charisma, going on to become one of the best goalkeepers in Inter’s history.
“The 166 clean sheets he kept in 455 matches are proof of this. Thanks to these extraordinary numbers, Samir drew level with Ivan Ramiro Cordoba (455) in tenth place in the all-time Nerazzurri appearance ranking across all competitions.
“It was a historic and prestigious achievement for the Slovenian shot-stopper, who sits second in terms of number of appearances made by foreign-born players in Serie A history. Indeed, only Javier Zanetti (615 matches, all of which were with Inter) is ahead of him in this particular list. Furthermore, he holds the record for the number of penalty saves in the Italian top flight: 32. No one in Serie A history has matched this total.
“He’s had an extraordinary career, winning the 2020/21 Scudetto, the Coppa Italia twice and the Supercoppa Italiana on two occasions in Nerazzurri colours. “The Inter fans and all of the Nerazzurri family wish Handanovic all the best and appreciate everything he’s done. Thank you, Samir!”
Overlooked the last few years as one of the best goalkeepers of the last 20 years.