Less than a month before the start of the championship, Inter is still looking for its starting right winger. The Nerazzurri’s worksite remains open also in defense and, potentially, in midfield. Nothing unusual, considering that the transfer window closes on September 2 and that opportunities often arise in the last days of August, when many clubs speed up to sell and buy.

Less reassuring is the total stalemate for a crucial operation like the one on the wing, caused by bad luck for Khalaili, but also by the slowness of negotiations to get to Marco Palestra. The most serious mistake was precisely underestimating the appeal of a young and modern player like Palestra for Premier League clubs and, conversely, the financial strength of clubs able to double the salary offered by the Nerazzurri.

The disaster: Chelsea arrived, with the usual English financial resources, and in one night erased Inter’s courtship that had begun in previous months. The Nerazzurri have something to blame themselves for: if they had immediately offered the 50 million including bonuses requested by Atalanta instead of relying on the player’s will to weaken the position of the Bergamo club, probably the 2005-born would be with Barella, Bastoni and teammates in Donaueschingen today.

Another limit of this management emerges: wanting to set the price for the players they buy. Practical example: Liverpool has set the value of Curtis Jones at 35 million pounds, 41.2 million euros. If the Reds and their managers have decided that Jones costs that much and don’t want to negotiate much, a decision must be made: either you offer that amount, or at least something similar, or the player doesn’t arrive, especially if the league of origin is the Premier League, where teams have no problem letting a contract expire without cashing in.

The Djed Spence situation is eerily similar. Italian media talk about 35 million as the budget allocated by Inter for this operation. An attempt will be made, but it’s hard to think that will be enough: a 25-year-old in the Premier League, with a contract expiring in 2029, fresh from a World Cup in which he managed to stand out precisely with the Three Lions shirt. Knowing today’s English market, barring unlikely summer sales, the valuation by the Spurs will be higher, as reported by the English media.

Here too, a choice will have to be made. Read, Vanderson, Molina: the alternatives exist, today. Maybe in twenty days they won’t, unless you resort to that creativity, as Marotta called it in the season’s presentation press conference, which brings more risks than benefits when talking about a player who should be an undisputed starter for the reigning Italian champions. If the operation on the right were to bring a Luis Henrique 2.0 to Milan, the discontent would be justified.

For months Inter has known what its needs are in the market: first and foremost a starting right winger, then a central defender to add to the rotations. On July 20, halfway through training camp and with Serie A approaching, neither has arrived. If you want to defend the Scudetto from the very first matches, without a slow start like last year, it’s essential to change pace right away.

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