Yann Sommer opened up about his debut season with Inter, the changes from Bayern Munich to the Nerazzurri and his adaptations in Italy.
The 35-year-old Swiss goalkeeper joined the Milanese club from the Bavarian giants last year in a deal worth around €6.75m, being signed to replace Andre Onana following his move to Manchester United.
Sommer quickly managed to impress with Inter and maintained a high level across the season, keeping 19 clean sheets and conceding just 19 goals across 34 Serie A matches, playing a key role in the club’s charge to their 20th Scudetto.
Sommer interview
Speaking to Swiss broadcaster SRF, Sommer first discussed the pressures attached to the move to Inter.
“I didn’t feel so much pressure at Inter. Perhaps it is linked to the fact of not having understood everything that was written at the beginning. I felt really happy coming to Inter. I felt welcome from day one. That made everything easier.”
He spoke about how it felt to replace Onana and if replacing Andre ter Stegen in the past helped.
“Of course this helps. Even at Gladbach it was a challenge for me that I wanted to accept. My goal has always been not to be a copy of another goalkeeper.
“I, Yann Sommer, wanted to be a good goalkeeper for the new club. I have always done well not to compare myself, but rather to bring my game, my ideas and my creativity to the pitch.”
Sommer touched on the changes between the Bayern and Inter fans.
“Hard to say. When I arrived in Gladbach, no one in Germany knew me. People were uncertain, an unknown Swiss goalkeeper for Ter Stegen, will it be a good thing? This time I came from Bavaria and gained experience in Europe.
“This was a big difference, the fans already knew what kind of goalkeeper they would have. It could be that they appreciate other things here, it was definitely incredibly good.”
He was asked when he realised he needed to adapt to life in Italy.
“The training camp. That means sleeping at the training sports centre before the match. Everything is a little more exciting, even within the team, the way the staff works with us. Otherwise, there are many parallels with the Bundesliga at work.”
Sommer reflected on Inter’s Scudetto celebrations.
“I immediately get goosebumps. It was mega-exciting, euphoric. A nice celebration for the season with lots of people. I really enjoyed myself. The fans love the club, they show it in every home game and in every away game.
“You can feel this immense joy at all times. For a footballer it is one of the best things there is, you would hardly believe it was more than seven hours to travel 2.5 km. There were so many people, including little girls and boys, it was beautiful.”
He spoke about the responsibility he feels.
“Definitely. We try to restore this joy with good results on the pitch. Naturally the pressure is there, people wanted the title, the second star on the shirt. As fans they invest a lot.”
Finally, Sommer discussed how he was close to breaking the clean sheet record.
“Yes, but it’s also a credit to the team. I already had a very strong defence in Gladbach under Lucien Favre. It’s like this at Inter too, we have a good structure on the pitch. As a result, we concede few goals. For me as a goalkeeper this is an absolute dream.”