Simone Inzaghi's understated Inter Milan success after uncertainty and £148.5m exodus

Under normal circumstances, the offer of taking over a side which had just won the league title would be a no-brainer, but the situation at Inter Milan in the summer was anything but normal.

Inter were on cloud nine on May 3, 2021 when they ended Juventus ’ nine-year dominance by winning the Serie A title, their first for 11 years.

But once the hangovers had faded, the grim reality of the situation had to be addressed. Storm clouds were gathering and could not be ignored.

Just 23 days after securing the title, the mastermind behind it – Antonio Conte – had left the club by mutual consent.

The club’s finances and transfer budget were the primary reasons behind the separation. Inter, who are owned by Chinese company Suning, recorded a loss of £87million in 2020 and desperately needed to raise £68m just to continue functioning.

"We must reduce costs and control risks. This obviously also influences the transfer market strategy. Our different views on the situation led to the separation,” Inter president Steve Zhang told Gazzetta Dello Sport at the time.

The inevitable followed, as star players Achraf Hakimi and Romelu Lukaku followed Conte out of the door of the Italian champions for fees of £51m and £97.5m respectively.

It was in this context that Simone Inzaghi took the Inter Milan job. He was inheriting a fine squad which had recent experience of success fresh in their minds.

But he was also stepping into the void created by Conte’s departure and inheriting a squad which had lost its two best players and would not be receiving much investment to refresh it.

Hakimi was replaced by Denzel Dumfries for a fee of around £11m; Lukaku by Edin Dzeko on a free transfer.

Hakan Calhanoglu arrived from rivals AC Milan on a