Inter Milan 2016-17 season review: Results, roster changes, and summer transfer targets

This season promised a lot for Inter Milan. They hired successful Ajax coach Frank de Boer, and made a splash with some big summer transfer acquisitions. At the very least, they were hoping to make an assault on the Champions League places after a five-year absence from Europe’s biggest club competition. Suffice to say, things didn’t exactly go to plan.

By the start of November, de Boer was gone, and veteran Italian Stefano Pioli replaced him as Inter looked to claw their way up from 12th place. The Nerazzurri showed flickers of promise under Pioli, but not enough: he too was sacked in May, with interim boss Stefano Vecchi eventually steering the club to an underwhelming seventh place in the table. They head into the summer manager-less, and without much hope for immediate improvement. There can be no doubting that Inter remain in a mess of monstrous proportions.

Inter went big in the transfer market this season, spending in excess of €150 million. Many of their players bought with an eye for the future: 23-year-old João Mário, fresh from winning Euro 2016 with Portugal, arrived from Sporting Lisbon. The highly rated Gabriel Barbosa, 20, arrived from Santos. Marcelo Brozović and Gianluca Caprari also arrived with bags of potential. When considering the experience added with the signings of Antonio Candreva, Miranda, and Éver Banega, Inter appeared to do very well in the summer.

But while they assembled a competitive squad, there can be no denying that little went right on the pitch. There were impressive performances from captain Mauro Icardi, who finished the season with 26 goals in all competitions, Ivan Perišić, Candreva and Gagliardini. But as a team, the Nerazzurri never found the consistency to seriously challenge for Europe, eventually finishing eight points adrift of fifth-placed Lazio.

Where do we begin? The problems began right at the start of the season, with Inter sacking Roberto Mancini and hiring de Boer just two weeks before the start of the new season. He spoke no Italian, and no matter how good a coach he may be, was never likely to get the club playing his way in such a short space of time. He didn’t help himself with uninspiring tactics and peculiar selection decisions, and it came as no real surprise when he was dismissed after just 85 days in charge.

Things initially improved under his replacement, Pioli, whose robust tactics paved the way for a considerable upturn in form. An impressive run between October and March saw the Nerazzurri win 14 league games and drop points in only five: a genuine European challenge looked on the cards. Alas, a calamitous collapse followed their 7-1 win at home to high-flying Atalanta, and they picked up just two points from their next eight league games — a run that cost Pioli his job. Harsh, perhaps, but sackings are scarcely ever surprising in the weird and wonderful world of Italian football.

Inter supporters have had so much unfulfilled expectation over the last few seasons that they’d be unwise to get their hopes up again this summer. But they are, like us, sports fans, and wisdom isn’t exactly our strong suit. They’ll doubtless start the season with renewed optimism, once again dreaming of a return to the kind of greatness they’ve not tasted since their Champions League glory under José Mourinho in 2010. How long ago those days now seem.

The fact remains that Inter have a strong squad, and plenty of financial might. It’s a big if, but if they recruit well over the summer — and that includes Pioli’s permanent replacement, likely to be Luciano Spalletti — they could be on for a successful season.

Inter’s greatest weakness at present is certainly their defense. It’s possible to make the case that none of their current back line players are good enough for a side of their ambition, and it’s little wonder that they’ve been strongly linked with moves for Real Madrid veteran Pepe, and Roma star Kostas Manolas — both centre-backs. Spalletti clearly knows the latter well from his time at the Olimpico, and that could stand Inter in good stead if they decide to make a move.

Monaco full-back Benjamin Mendy would also be an excellent capture, though bigger clubs are reportedly in the market for the Frenchman. Young defenders Dalbert Henrique and Mouctar Diakhaby, of Nice and Lyon, respectively, have also been subject to Inter’s interest.

Outside of their defense, it’s anyone’s guess. Recent reports have linked them with a move for Real Madrid’s out-of-favor playmaker James Rodríguez, though the Colombian would surely be subject to strong interest from all of Europe’s elite clubs if the Merengues decide to let him go. Atlético Madrid attacker Ángel Correa and Fiorentina winger Federico Bernardeschi represent more realistic targets, and would help to offset the loss of Perišić, rumored to be the apple of Manchester United’s eye.