Inter impressed by Taremi and Zielinski: What do the Serie A holders still need in the summer transfer window?
Champions Inter go into the 2024/25 Serie A campaign in a position of strength, with the arrivals of Piotr Zielinski from Napoli and Porto striker Mehdi Taremi suggesting that coach Simone Inzaghi knows that if you stand still in football, you invariably go backwards.
With city neighbours AC Milan expected to mount a bigger title challenge and Juventus looking to avoid a repeat of the mid-season slump last term, the Nerazzurri will expect a tougher test this season and must also aim to show their supporters that they can go deep in the Champions League.
However, Inzaghi is unlikely to deviate from his tried and tested 3-5-2 formation, so additional arrivals to the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza will need to fit seamlessly into a system that has secured multiple Coppa Italia successes and delivered a first scudetto in three years.
With ageing stars like Davy Klaassen, Juan Cuadrado and Alexis Sanchez leaving Inter this summer, the squad, if not the first-team, has the opportunity to upgrade and add a European challenge to domestic dominance. Zielinski and Taremi have both impressed in pre-season so far, but fans will want to see more.
Strength in defence needed for European challenge
While Matteo Darmian might be an able deputy in times of crisis, Inter cannot continue to depend on the utility man when Inzaghi is unable to field specialist centre-backs within his preferred three-man back line, or turn to opposite wing-back Federico Dimarco in times of need.
At the start of the summer, Torino defender Alessandro Buongiorno looked set to add some youth alongside Francesco Acerbi and Stefan de Vrij, but the pull of Antonio Conte at Napoli was too much to ignore and the 25-year-old will ply his trade at the other end of the peninsula.
After a difficult campaign with Bayern Munich, former Partenopei defender Kim Min-jae would probably jump at the chance of a return to Serie A, and having negotiated with the Germans for Benjamin Pavard and Yann Sommer in recent years, could agree on a loan.
If not, Johan Vasquez of Genoa would be a cut-price option and has been a virtual ever-present in Serie A for the Grifone and Cremonese, where he spent a season on loan during his parent club’s year-long spell in the second tier.
Do Inter need another striker?
After 91 goals in 182 appearances in all competitions, the addition of Taremi to the Inter attack appears to have lifted the burden on captain Lautaro Martinez, but those numbers were recorded for a Porto side often several levels above Portuguese domestic rivals and last term he only just reached double figures.
At 32 years old, the Iranian international has ultimately taken the spot previously occupied by Alexis Sanchez and will probably offer more than Marko Arnautovic, but it is still an area where the champions are probably lacking strength in depth.
Albert Gudmundsson of Genoa has long been cited as an Inter target, but the Grifone will expect a significant return on the 26-year-old which could push the Nerazzurri back into the out-of-contract market, where Memphis Depay and Anthony Martial are two of the notable names still available.