Inter Milan have been very busy in the January transfer window. Antonio Conte has had a reputation for being extremely demanding with regard to transfers, and it looks like the Inter hierarchy are backing their manager to the hilt as he looks to deliver a first Serie A title to the San Siro in ten long years, since Jose Mourinho’s treble win. Even after spending more than €150 million in the summer, Inter are still looking to get more players in, and are almost exclusively targetting the Premier League, with Manchester United veteran Ashley Young the first in a line of potential recruits to land in Milan from England.
Ashley Young was finally granted his wish to move to Inter by the United hierarchy, with the 34-year old being signed on an initial six-month deal, with the option to extend it for a further year. Conte has been crying out for reinforcement in the wing-back areas, which Young will provide, but also crucially, he brings title-winning experience to an Inter dressing room which lacks that at the moment. Not too many of the players at the San Siro have been part of a title race, and Conte is trying to ensure that they can last the whole course and not fall off like Napoli have done in recent seasons. Inter Milan are currently two points behind Juventus at the top of Serie A, with three draws in their last five league games allowing the defending champions from Turin to overtake them. Fans wishing to back Inter in this race can click here and check all the free bets offers UK has to offer, with most bookies still backing Juventus to retain the title at odds as low as 1.44; while second-placed Inter can be backed at 4.00 at some bookies, which could be interesting given how tight the Serie A title race has been so far.
Alongside Ashley Young, Conte is also targeting a couple of players from his former home of London. Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud and Tottenham midfielder Christian Eriksen have been heavily linked with moves mid-season to Milan, with Conte wanting to bring a touch more creativity to his side. Of course, he has managed Giroud previously at Chelsea, and the France forward is looking to make a move for the sake of his place in his country’s squad for Euro 2020. Frank Lampard has barely given Giroud a look-in this season, given Tammy Abraham’s form, and while it is difficult to see how he could get more playing time at the San Siro due to Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez’s superb partnership, the lack of backup for the duo means that he will be trusted to take their place as Conte looks to keep their title push alive. Inter are favourites to land the Frenchman, with bookies offering odds of 1/7 that he will be at the San Siro at some point this month, while they are at 1/4 at some bookmakers to nab his rival from across the city, Christian Eriksen.
Eriksen, like Giroud, has his contract expiring at the end of the season and thus can be picked up for a cut-price fee. Of course, Daniel Levy is holding out for as high a fee as he can get for the Danish playmaker, but given the player’s well-established preference to leave White Hart Lane as soon as possible, it is likely that a deal will soon be struck. Conte’s midfield lacks a player with Eriksen’s characteristics, and his creativity on the ball could be just what Inter need to keep their title run going. All in all, these three January arrivals would all fill specific needs for Conte, and would be a shot in the arm for Inter to continue their task of hunting down Juventus.
