Antonio Conte, manager of Inter Milan. /VCG
Antonio Conte will continue as the manager of Serie A's Inter Milan in the next season, announced the Italian club on Tuesday.
"The Club and Antonio Conte had a constructive meeting today focused on continuity and strategy, in which the two parties laid the foundations to continue working together on the Club's project," said Inter in a statement.
The past 2019-20 season gave both Conte and Inter mixed feelings. On one hand, the Nerazzurri finished the domestic league as the runner-up and made the UEFA Europa League Final. However, they had the chance to overthrow the rule of Juventus in Serie A but Inter failed to take it, just like they failed to win the Europa League title – Sevilla beat them 3-2 in the Final.
Antonio Conte, manager of Inter Milan, passes by the UEFA Europa League championship trophy after his team loses 3-2 to Sevilla in the Final at Rhein-Energie stadium in Cologne, Germany, August 21, 2020. /VCG
Sure, Conte could be blamed for that but the 51-year-old had his own grievances. For the whole season, Conte repeatedly complained that Inter's top office did not introduce the players he wanted. After losing to Sevilla, Conte even told the press that he was not sure whether he will stay in Stadio Giuseppe Meazza next season.
In the end, Inter's Chairman Zhang Kangyang (Steven Zhang) reached out to Conte and the two had a "constructive meeting." After that, it was agreed that Conte will stay. To be fair, Conte's work spoke for itself. He added toughness, passion and energy to Inter while the club landed Romelu Lukaku and others on his request at big costs. The first year of cooperation should be considered successful despite all the difficulties and frictions they went through. Therefore, at least it should be given another year.
Since Inter settled their manager problem, the next step should be focused on franchise improvement. Regardless of what reports said, the Nerazzurri were involved in the possible transfer of Lionel Messi. Meanwhile, unlike the other clubs – Manchester City, Manchester United – Inter have the player Barcelona want: Lautaro Martínez. If the six-time Ballon d'Or winner arrives at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, imagine how the annual "The Derby d'Italia" will look like.