It has been another topsy-turvy Inter Milan transfer window. The capital club started the transfer window in bad shape, quickly selling Achraf Hakimi to Paris Saint-Germain. Hakimi stood above the pack as the best full-back in all of Italy last season and is a star right-back who will continue to be at the top of his position for the foreseeable future. Shortly after, Inter sold their star man Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea. Lukaku was not only their best player and one of the best in Serie A but also the team’s clear vocal leader. Inter looked to be in disarray but rebounded nicely considering their budget.
Inter Milan Transfer Window
Defence
Denzel Dumfries came in to replace Hakimi. Although Hakimi is world-class, Dumfries is quickly becoming a strong option and was one of the top right-backs deemed as available. The Dutch international is as tough as they come in defence and contributes plenty going forward. He starred for the Netherlands in Euro 2020, which earned him a transfer to a “bigger” team than PSV. Inter also acquired Dumfries for a low price considering the player’s abilities. This move was done quickly and it was the right choice.
Inter spent more on Zinho Vanheusden than Dumfries, signing him from Standard Liege. The Belgian centre-back played well back in his home country, after moving there from Inter in 2018. For now, he’s spending this season on loan at Genoa. This was a wise move by Inter as they have strong defensive depth. Vanheusden will earn valuable Serie A experience before becoming a contributing member of the Inter squad.
Lastly, Inter brought in goalkeeper Alex Cordaz for free from Crotone. He will likely never start a match, barring any injuries, but acquiring a player for free for depth reasons is always a decent move.
Grade: 6.5/10
Midfield
Inter made one move in the midfield – taking Hakan Calhanoglu from bitter rivals AC Milan for free. It’s always a good move for a team to take one of their rivals’ best players, but Calhanoglu is also an instant starter on Inter. The Turkish international is as creative as they come with timely passes and a blistering long shot.
The one main criticism of Calhanoglu is his consistency. While playing for Milan, he’d have stretches of world-class play and other stretches of very poor play. A good sign for Inter, however, is that Calhanoglu recorded a goal and an assist in his first official match. He eases the burden of missing Christian Eriksen.
Grade: 8/10
Attack – The Main Focus for Inter Milan
Losing Lukaku was devastating. It looked like doom and gloom for the club. Furthermore, other teams were looking to acquire star Lautaro Martinez while taking advantage of Inter’s financial issues. The club held on to Martinez, which is a major win on its own.
The first move in the attack was purchasing Edin Dzeko from Roma. This was another move done for free. Dzeko is 35-years-old, making him a stopgap option, but he’s very experienced in Serie A and the Champions League. He has starting quality but is also a great name to have first off the bench.
The second move done to replace Lukaku was acquiring Joaquin Correa from Lazio. Correa is an extremely versatile attacker, and excels at both scoring goals and setting up teammates. He’s a great player to have alongside fellow Argentinian Martinez. In his first match for Inter, Correa scored two goals and claimed victory against Hellas Verona in a come from behind match. He’ll shine with the Nerazzurri.
Grade: 8/10
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