Inter Milan recently confirmed a deal to sign Manchester City striker Stevan Jovetic, with the Montenegro international their seventh major signing of the summer. Manager Roberto Mancini has been tasked with a rebuild following a woeful last campaign that saw Inter finish closer to the relegation zone than the top spot, and he’s made some good acquisitions so far.
- Geoffrey Kondogbia (AS Monaco) £21M
- Xherdan Shaqiri (Bayern Munich) £11M
- Jeison Murillo (Granada CF) £6M
- Davide Santon (Newcastle United) £2.5M
- Stevan Jovetic (Manchester City) Loan fee: £2.1M
- Miranda (Atlético Madrid) Loan fee: £2.1M
- Martín Montoya (FC Barcelona) Loan fee: £1M
The Serie A giants have strengthened in almost every area this summer, and are desperate to push for a Champions League spot in the table again. Re-appointing manager Roberto Mancini saw an improvement in form, but the Azzurri have a long way to go before they’re back in the upper reaches.
Inter have finished outside of the top-four in each of the last four seasons, and have sold key players over the years which has made their task even harder. Upon his return to the San Siro, Mancini admitted this was his toughest task in management, saying: “To come back to Inter is the biggest challenge. It’s not easy at this moment.”
“It’s not easy because we are working very well, but the results are so-so, and, you know, Inter is a top club. The supporters want to win every game. At this moment it’s difficult, and this is a very big challenge for me, but I think that when we win again.”
Juventus have been the team to beat in Italy, with the Old Lady having won four consecutive Serie A titles, but they too have strengthened in the transfer market. Inter Milan are going in the right direction to start their climb up the table, but Mancini’s first full season back at the club could still be one of learning. Inter’s side still need a lot of work done to it, and they still need an overhaul of the playing squad.
However, their resurgence looks to be on the cards, and the coming season should showcase some real progression from the Azzurri. Roberto Mancini is a hero for his title-winning antics in his first stint, but if he could turn the club around this time, he would be considered above the likes of treble-winner Jose Mourinho to the fans.
So could it be time to take Inter Milan seriously in the title race?
