Inter and Antonio Conte have had a busy start to the new 2020-21 Serie A season.
With Champions League football to contend with, Inter have so far taken 12 points from their opening 7 Serie A games – they went into this international break in 7th-place after a 1-1 draw at Atalanta last time out.
They resume league duties with the visit of Torino next weekend and a win could set Antonio Conte’s side up for a strong run-in to New Year.
The upcoming transfer market session in January will no doubt be a crucial time for the club no matter their league position. Conte though might have to offload some names before he can any new ones in.
So here we take a look at three players he could look at selling in January:
Christian Eriksen
The Dane had been wanting to leave Tottenham for a while. He was holding out for a move to Real Madrid but after that didn’t materialize, he chose Inter.
He’s now featured 22 times for the club in Serie A – 5 times this season – and has scored once, and it’s looking like he won’t ever fulfill his Inter potential.
Spurs have been linked with a returning move for Eriksen but even that looks out the window – he’s been out-of-form since before his Inter move and it looks as though the high-earner might become a burden of Inter’s.
Conte would do well to offload Eriksen in the New Year, or perhaps look for a loan move to try and keep his stock and fitness levels high.
‘The choices I make are for the good of Inter’ – Conte dismisses Eriksen complaints https://t.co/Qt541MU96Y pic.twitter.com/1Rcf7j3R3Q
— Sporting News Soccer (@SN_CA_Soccer) November 15, 2020
Radja Nainggolan
A stalwart of Italian football, Naiggolan is another like Eriksen who seems to be stuck on the periphery of the Inter line-up and struggling to regain any sort of form he once had.
Prone to injury as well as being one of the club’s highest-earners, Nainggolan might prove to be a strain on the club’s wage bill too and Conte might look to offload the midfielder completely come January.
Having spent the last season on loan with Cagliari, another loan move in this second-half of the season isn’t off the cards. But after just three Serie A appearances this season, Conte might look for a permanent move away for Nainggolan.
Andrea Ranocchia
The 32-year-old has been but a bench warmer this season – he’s featured just twice in Serie A this season to leave him with 13 league appearances for Inter in the last 3 campaigns.
His involvements have been dire and Conte will know that he needs to sell up at his earliest convenience, but Ranocchia provides decent back-up with his experience and versatility in defense.
With Ranocchia’s contract set to expire in June, Conte might be holding out for a permanent transfer in January to take the fee, and not risk losing him for nothing come the summer.
For that to happen though, Inter would have to extend Ranocchia’s stay by at least a year – a risky move, but he’s a player with ability left to offer, and a suitor could swoop in January if Conte makes it clear that he’s available.
