With Inter’s season starting tonight against Monza, Richard Hall looks at the latest Nerazzurri signings and notes that whilst Carlos Augusto enters as the new young hope, perhaps fans should not be too quick to dismiss the return of prodigal son Marko Arnautovic.
It has been a strange Mercato for the Nerazzurri. André Onana was sold to make funds for a man who never arrived. Still, with no Romelu Lukaku, there was money to strengthen the squad. Goalkeepers were the priority as Samir Handanovic had also left the club. Yann Sommer and Emil Audero have arrived at the Stadio Meazza, following the likes of Marcus Thuram, Davide Frattesi and Yann Aurel Bisseck, but Beppe Marotta had not completed the job yet.
Carlos Augusto and Marko Artanutovic are the latest additions to Simone Inzaghi’s squad and one more centre-back may arrive before the end of the summer transfer window. Carlos Augusto has been seen as an exciting proposition, meanwhile, the 34-year-old Arnautovic raised eyebrows.
Augusto arrived from Monza on a loan deal worth €4m with an option to buy for a further €7m Euro and €4m in performance-related bonuses. Carlos made it clear when talking with Inter TV that he wanted to emulate his namesake ‘Roberto Carlos’ who was his idol when growing up. Born in Sao Paulo and starting his career at Corinthians, it is no surprise that he wanted to copy the man in his position.
In his only Serie A season at Monza, Inter’s first league opponent in 2023-24, Carlos Augusto scored six goals and managed five assists playing as a left wing-back, proving to be one of the most exciting players in that position. The 24-year-old has replaced Robin Gosens on the left flank at the Stadio Meazza and his arrival will give Inzaghi a chance to move Federico Dimarco in a three-man defence when needed, although the Italian remains the starter on the left flank.
When watching Augusto, you first notice his pace but that is just the beginning. He loves to drift inside and overlap with the left-hand side midfielder. More than one of his goals saw him score from inside the box. The power with which he strikes the ball, however, is undoubtedly one of his main assets and you can see why he has based himself on ‘Roberto’.
The arrival of Arnautovic did not match Inter fans’ excitement about the signing of the promising Brazilian left-back. The Austrian returned to the Stadio Meazza for €10m, 13 years after playing under José Mourinho in the Nerazzurri shirt. However, he only collected 55 minutes on the pitch during a legendary Treble-winning season in 2009-10. Even to his own admission, he was hot-headed and wasn’t concentrating on his football then.
He was like an ‘Austrian Balotelli’ and left the club for a decent career in Germany, England, China and Italy again. With 24 goals in 54 games for Bologna, he has become a dangerous, physically strong goalscorer with excellent technique. Like Edin Dzeko before him, he could offer much as he will provide something different off the bench for Inter. It could be a good move for a short time: his game does not rely on pace, but he has the attitude of a winner, unlike in his early days.
Whilst many may think that Inter’s Mercato has been slightly underwhelming, the Nerazzurri still have a key core that is very impressive. Those who wanted to leave were allowed to do so. Marotta capitalised on assets and, although everything has not gone to plan (Lukaku and Lazar Samardzic), they have invested and made some shrewd moves in the market. Inter are not done yet, that is for sure, but the latest two signings will surely have an impact. As ‘The Emperor’ said, wait until they leave the field to judge.
@RichHall80