The confetti thrown after their Serie A title win has barely touched the ground but Inter Milan are already plunged into despair after an historic season.
A first Scudetto title in a decade has not been enough to keep Antonio Conte at the club, who resigned from his head coach role on Wednesday just three days after lifting the Italian top-flight title at the San Siro.
The reasoning behind his resignation is as baffling as his decision to do so. Inter, at the top of their game and facing a fourth straight season in the Champions League, find themselves in financial ruin.
Antonio Conte quit Inter Milan on Wednesday to send the Serie A champions into meltdown
Conte quit the Nerazzurri just three days after lifting Inter’s first Scudetto title since 2010
A £250million loan from Oaktree Capital has boosted the finances and prevented the club from financial ruin but that is not enough. Inter need to rise a further £87m from player sales and also impose a 20 per cent wage reduction among the first team squad.
Conte refused to get on board with that philosophy, so has jumped ship. The question is – what on earth happens now?
The loss of the 51-year-old coach is a major blow to Inter’s short-term development. Only the Italian could have masterminded that Serie A title win and the large intake of players over the past two years means this really was Conte’s Inter.
The search for a new head coach is underway but the player sales still need to happen regardless of who is next through the door. The most likely departure is star striker Romelu Lukaku, who could cover nearly all of Inter’s financial target alone after a stellar season.
Several Inter Milan stars need to be sold to raise money, which could include Romelu Lukaku
The Belgian forward has been crucial to Inter’s title win, hitting the 30-goal mark for a second successive season at the San Siro.
Losing Lukaku would be a huge blow to Inter’s progression but a major transfer fee would limit the amount of exits required.
The 27-year-old is reportedly valued at around £77m while his wages total around £10m.
One stumbling block, however, is that Lukaku is one of several major strikers set to be on the move this summer.
Premier League sides are more likely to stump up a marquee fee for Tottenham’s Harry Kane given his English top-flight experience. Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland is seven years younger than Lukaku and would be a more sensible long-term investment.
Lukaku was crucial to Inter’s recent title success, scoring 30 goals in all competitions this term
Barcelona-bound Sergio Aguero is the cheap option on the market on a free transfer, while Kylian Mbappe could also take up most of a big club’s finances this summer should he release himself from Paris Saint-Germain’s shackles.
Yet should Conte find a new club quickly – whether that be the vacant Real Madrid post or an English side like Tottenham – then Lukaku could be tempted to join the departed Inter boss there, due to the ‘bond’ the pair have as striker and head coach.
Lukaku ended an emotional tribute to Conte on Thursday by saying: ‘You came at the right time and basically changed me as a player and made me even stronger mentally and more importantly we won together!
‘Winning is and it’s all that matters to you and I’m glad that I have had you as a coach. I will keep your principles for the rest of my career (physical preparation, mental and just the drive to win…) it was a pleasure to play for you! Thank you for all what you did. I owe you a lot.. @antonioconte.’
Lukaku’s (middle) sale could depend on how quickly coach Conte (right) finds a new job
Another potential departure is Lautaro Martinez, who was linked with a mega-money move to Barcelona last summer before the Catalans were priced out of a switch, battling their own financial armageddon.
The 23-year-old striker has played his own role in Inter’s successful season with 19 goals and 11 assists this term and has been linked with a move to Madrid sides Atletico and Real as a result.
Martinez has a contract until 2023 and with the 20 per cent wage cut for the Inter players meaning contract renewals are unlikely, this may be the Nerazzurri’s best chance for them to cash in on the Argentine.
Achraf Hakimi is another player who could command a major fee to help with the financial turmoil Inter find themselves in. The Moroccan full-back netted seven times and registered six assists last term as well as providing versatility in multiple systems.
Achraf Hakimi (left) and Lautaro Martinez (right) could also quit the Serie A champions soon
Real Madrid have been linked with the £45m-rated defender while PSG may decide to offer £25m plus midfielder Leandro Paredes in a bid which could tempt Inter.
Also at the back, Inter may also lose veteran goalkeeper Samir Handanovic this summer, despite having one more year left to run on his deal.
The Serie A champions ideally want a new goalkeeper but could also promote young shot stopper Andrei Radu to No 1 to keep costs down.
Big decisions await for Inter owner Steven Zhang, who is facing fan revolts at not one but two of the clubs he possesses.
Already unpopular with the fans after seven months away from Milan before returning to the Italian city for the title party this week, Zhang was the subject of protest banners on Wednesday after news that Conte was set to leave.
Inter owner Steven Zhang has become very unpopular with the club’s supporters recently
‘Don’t Touch Antonio Conte… Take Responsibility Or Leave’ was the message Inter fans gave to their owner via some banners, which is very similar to the angry protests by Chinese Super League side Jiangsu Suning, which Zhang also owns.
The 29-year-old businessman pulled funding from the Chinese top-flight side earlier this year, leaving fans calling for him to ‘Get Out of China’ following that call.
Zhang’s unpopularity adds more substance to the question: just who would want to manage the poisoned chalice that is Inter Milan?
The ideal target is Lazio boss Simone Inzaghi, famed for transforming the Roman side.
Inter thought they could bring in Lazio head coach Simone Inzaghi as Conte’s replacement
Inter chief executive Giuseppe Marotta looked like he had the all-clear from Inzaghi to take over recently but the 45-year-old now looks set to stay at Lazio.
Former Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri is also an option but the 53-year-old looks set to forge a reunion at the Old Lady – with Andrea Pirlo’s future very unlikely to remain at the Allianz Stadium.
Beyond that, there aren’t too many standout choices. Paulo Fonseca would not be a popular option given his poor end to the season with Roma, while former Inter midfielder and assistant coach Sinisa Mihajlovic could be tempted out of mid-table Bologna.
Former Inter star Dejan Stankovic, who won the Champions League with the Nerazzurri in 2011, has just lifted back-to-back Serbian titles with Red Star Belgrade and was Inter’s team co-ordinator between 2015 and 2016.
Dejan Stankovic (left) and Sinisa Mihajlovic (right) have been deemed other potential options
The poor shortlist of names shows how unpopular working for Zhang’s Inter is at the moment
It is not a shortlist of managers that matches up with how well Inter have been over the past two years.
The next Inter coach needs to be a major coup given AC Milan and Juventus will come back stronger, while Roma have snapped up Jose Mourinho.
Managing Inter should be an attractive option – a title-winning squad, regular Champions League football, a passionate but loyal fanbase plus a new stadium on the way.
But right now, under Zhang’s stewardship and his summer plans, it is anything but a nice place to work.
