Article by Daniel Scorpie – Published on Thursday, 01 January 2026 16:10 / Updated on Thursday, 01 January 2026 16:37
The daily Tuttosport writes on the first day of the new year about the plans for acquisitions and departures that Cristi Chivu is thinking about. The coach of Inter will give up the players who have reached the end of the contract and wants to remind the group in the idea of putting into practice the 3-4-2-1 system at the leader of Serie A.
After being installed at Inter, Cristi Chivu only received two players. He brought Ange-Yoan Bonny after him from Parma and, in the last hundred meters, Manuel Akanji also came, but the main targets of the summer mercato were missed: Ederson, from Atalanta, and Manu Kone, from AS Roma.
“Cristian Chivu will lead the rebuilding process. At the end of the season, many of Inzaghi's veterans will say goodbye. Sommer, Acerbi, Darmian and Mkhitaryan's contracts expire (as well as De Vrij, who could leave immediately), while Hakan Calhanoglu could decide to sign one last major contract at Galatasaray.
“It won't be a “year zero”, and Chivu will lead Inter into a new era, with the management giving him the highest grade on the field”
Among them is Davide Frattesi, who, due to his age, certainly cannot be called a veteran, but he is about to leave, because he wants to find a continuity that Inter never guaranteed him.
It won't be a “zero year”, but something very similar, and the one who will lead Inter in a new era will be Chivu, whose management gave him the highest grade on the field. The former legend was convincing on all fronts: the game is more vertical and modern, the team is more “intense”, and the communication is impeccable.
Davide Frattesi was only a reserve at Inter in the final against PSG (0-5) / Photo: Imago
At the end of the season, the coach will only have one year left on his contract, and today the renewal seems like a formality, regardless of the results to come, given that the choice of a “Made in Inter” coach (Marotta dixit) certainly cannot be a choice that can be refused in the course of a season, even in the unfortunate event that no titles arrive”writes Tuttosport.
The same Turin newspaper also writes that “the next Inter will finally be Chivu's. This year, the coach adapted his ideas to the players he had (another undeniable merit), because the club chose a smooth transition between Inzaghi's four-year tenure and the start of a new era.
“The urgency is for Inter to bring him a left-footed stopper”
Although the coach is a follower of a defense in four, the team will bet further on a line with three (choice dictated by the need to keep Bastoni and Dimarco on the field), but the playing system should focus on 3-4-2-1 with 2 offensive and defensive midfielders and an additional attacking player formidable one-on-one with the opponent.
In this sense, Inter is monitoring Giovane (Valentin Carboni could be loaned to Verona precisely to strengthen the relationship between the clubs).
Tuttosport believes that “the most significant changes will have to be made in defense and in midfield, especially as Dumfries could also leave. The deal with Palestra (which could be anticipated for January) has been discussed at length, but an emergency would be to get Chivu a left-foot stopper.
Stankovic will be bought from Belgium for 23 million €!
The target is Tarik Muharemovic, who Ausilio is discussing with Sassuolo general manager Giovanni Carnevali. Defensively, another player who has been on the Nerazzurri's radar for months is Oumar Solet, but Inter's bosses are evaluating the extrasportive aspects of the French central defender from Udinese”.
In the middle compartment, Inter has the same candidates: Kone remains in the foreground, then Ederson and Khephren Thuram come. The Brazilian from Atalanta, whose contract expires in 2027, is at the top of the list, also because he can integrate perfectly tactically with Barella (Ederson plays on the left, alongside De Roon at Atalanta).
The most serious candidate to complete the line is Alexandar Stankovic, already promoted by Chivu, who trained him in the youth team.
The Serbian “exploded” at Club Brugge, and Inter has the opportunity to buy it back for 23 million euroshaving already earned 10 million from its summer sale. Given the current price, it's a bargain not to be missed.”
