Looking ahead to next season****, Chivu’s plan is to change the team’s system, switching from a three-man midfield to a two-man central midfield.****
It is a role that none of Inter’s current seven midfielders naturally fulfils:from Barella to Zielinski, via Calhanoglu, Diouf, Frattesi, Mkhitaryan and Sucic. Of all of them, perhaps the former Napoli player from Poland is the only one 100% certain to stay in Milan, whilst the others could well be on the move.
Andrey Santos can play as an inside midfielder in a three-man midfield, but also as a central midfielder, as demonstrated at Chelsea alongside Ecuadorian Moises Caicedo and in Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil side alongside his Newcastle compatriot Bruno Guimaraes.
It is no coincidence thatInter are reportedly tracking other midfielders capable of playing in a two-man central midfield: France’s Manu Koné of Roma and Germany’s Leon Goretzka, whose contract with Bayern Munich expires in June.
Not to mention Serbian Aleksander Stankovic, whom the Nerazzurri are ready to bring back to Italy by paying Brugge the €23 million stipulated in the buy-back clause.