The phenomenal job by Internazionale in building a squad that can compete with Juventus under a "limited" budget
Juve has been in a level of their own for the last 8 years or so, winning the Scudetto had become an obligation, but a familiar face has returned to his native land to give them a run for their money.
Luciano Spaletti is a fine coach and did an okay job, but by bringing in Antonio Conte, Internazionale made a statement, no more celebration of top 4 qualifications we are here to win. We all know Conte he is to me one of the five best managers in the world, he wouldn't even be available to Inter If not for his reputation, a lot of drama, a lot of complaining and most clubs don't want to deal with that. Look at his tenure at Chelsea, in two years they won the Premier League and the FA Cup but the whole situation with Diego Costa, Chelsea's reluctance to bring in Lukaku, a lot of friction with the board and they sacked him.
A lot of people were afraid that the same if not worse would happen at Inter, the Italian side doesn't have Chelsea's budget not even close, they are not that far removed from financial fair play issues and to compete with Juventus, Conte would ask for the players as he has done Now here we are more than halfway into the season and it appears as though therre I'll be a fight until the end for the Scudetto.
The job by the board at Internationale has been tremendous. Doing some rough calculations for around 150 million over the last few years, 161 million to be exact. They acquired all of the following players
Romelu Lukaku (65)
Milan Skriniar (34 Mil €)
Lautaro Martinez (25)
Christian Eriksen (20)
Nicolò Barella (12)
Stefano Sensi (5)
Diego Godín (zero cost)
Stephen De Vrij (zero cost)
That's eight players to be a part of your stating eleven. We have yet to see them all together I believe and with three at the back I doubt Conte will leave Beozovic on the bench snd play a lighter more technical midfield with Sensi, Barella and Eriksen. That ain't happening nevertheless those eight acquisitions form the backbone of what Inter is today. Like with any club you can find bad signings but their success overrides any failure from my point of view.
Even with their resurgence the Nerazzurri is still not at the very top of the European football, they got bounced in the group stage of the Champions League once again. Breakout stars like Lautaro Martinez are bound to be linked towards the Barcelonas of the world, but even in that aspect every single one of those signings can lead to something good whether it's a big profit or for those who aren't likely to leave, they'll provide great production for a very cheap price.
Let's look at each signing specifically.
Romelu Lukaku (65): Probably the only player on the list who cost a significant price based on his contract situation yet he came at a discount compared to what Man United paid for him. Antonio Conte has demonstrated why he so desperately wanted the Belgian striker in his days at Chelsea. The three at the back scheme that relies a lot of counterattacks works perfectly for his skillet. In 22 games at Serie A Lukaku has scored 16 goals. All you need to know.
Milan Skriniar (34): A decade ago this would be a huge fee for a defender now after the signings of Van Dijk and Maguire this pick up looks like a steal. Skriniar is by far away the likeliest candidate to break the record of Harry Maguire as the most expensive defender ever. Alongside Godín and De Vrij he forms one of the most respected backlines in the world.
Lautaro Martinez (25): I saw this kid play in the Cops Libertadores and you could tell he was special, not quite a number 9, not quite a winger, but the damage be does playing alongside a partner in a two man front is unbelievable. He won a starting spot on the field for Argentina in the Cops América and right now his value has quadrupled at the very least based on what Inter paid for him.
Christian Eriksen (20): A world class player available for a price well below his market value. His clear desire to leave Tottenham led to an end in the contract negotiations and he eventually got his wish to leave. His reputation took a hug based on how the entire situation played out, now he gets a fresh start to recover the football he once displayed on the pitch.
Nicolò Barella and Stefano Sensi (combined 17 mil €): A couple of young Italian midfielders that showed a lot in these first six months in their new team. Both players also really imrpoved their value just by doing it at a bigger stage.
Diego Godín and Stephen De Vrij (zero cost): Acquiring two defenders of this caliber without paying a single dollar in transfer fees is huge for a side that can't afford to splash out the cash like the clubs they are competing against both domestically and in Europe. Diego Godín will play the remainder of his good years at Inter and Stephen De Vrij being a younger player will either stay there a long time or or provide a significant profit for the Nerazzurri.
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