Inter Milan

Ashley Young has described Inter Milan's derby triumph over rivals AC Milan on Sunday as an "unbelievable experience" after his side moved back to the top of the Serie A standings.

The Nerazzurri went in 2-0 down at half-time in the derby clash but raged back in the second half to win 4-2, with former Manchester United striker Lukaku rounding off their revival in injury time.

Young told TalkSport presenter Jim White: "I think it was an incredible feeling. You could see the way we celebrated after the game showed the character and strength we've got. To go 2-0 down in a derby like that then come back and win, that shows our character. It was an unbelievable experience."

Not even a month has passed since Young left Manchester United to join Inter on a six-month contract (with the option of another year), and it's immediately clear his title prospects look more hopeful in Milan.

Young agreed the derby win was among the best moments in his career to date, adding: "It definitely is [up there]. I came here to play football and win games, and when you come and win in the Milan derby in the way we did, it's just an incredible feeling. I don't think it gets any better than that."

Inter's victory was made all the sweeter by the fact Antonio Conte's side had to respond in the face of such adversity following a poor first half, and Young's celebrations carried on to social media:

What a feeling!!! The atmosphere in the stadium and the noise our fans made helped us turn the game around, felt like the place was on fire, it was electric! #forzainter 🔵⚫ pic.twitter.com/G5GLdVcvCb

— Ashley Young (@youngy18) February 10, 2020

Ante Rebic and Zlatan Ibrahimovic each scored for the Rossoneri to put them on course for what seemed like an almost routine win. Marcelo Brozovic and Matias Vecino scored within three minutes of one another to draw level before Stefan de Vrij stooped to head Inter in front on the 70-minute mark.

Young's previous club, United, are in the midst of their first midseason break but are set to resume the Premier League campaign away to Chelsea on Monday, February 17.

The Red Devils are eighth in the standings, six points outside the top four and 38 points off the pace being set by leaders Liverpool, who have more than doubled United's points tally after 25 games.

Conte recruited heavily from England in January by also signing Christian Eriksen from Tottenham Hotspur and Victor Moses on loan from Chelsea. Young's former United team-mates Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez (on loan at Inter) moved to the San Siro last summer.

Si Lloyd of JOE.co.uk praised former Chelsea chief Conte for the job he's done squeezing the most out of assets who otherwise seemed past their primes:

Really will be incredible if a team featuring Ashley Young, Victor Moses and whatever Alexis Sanchez has become end Juventus’ dominance of Serie A. Conte’s done a phenomenal job

— Si Lloyd (@SmnLlyd5) February 9, 2020

Fox Sports presenter Daniel Garb saw Young's transition into a successful project as more of an indictment of United:

Yep. When you see Ashley Young leave a languishing Man United and step straight into a title challenging Inter it’s not a great sign.

— Daniel Garb (@DanielGarb) February 9, 2020

The 34-year-old was considered dead weight by many at Old Trafford, but Young's move to Italy may prove more rejuvenating than many might have expected following three straight 90-minute outings in Serie A.

His next challenge will be to extend Inter's three-win streak at home to Napoli on Saturday in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia.

Inter Milan manager Antonio Conte "becomes a devil" if his side loses a match, but he can make players "play better than you think you can," according to Andrea Pirlo.

Conte took over as Inter manager in the summer and has masterminded their first genuine Serie A title challenge in almost a decade in 2019-20.

The Nerazzurri finished fourth in the Italian top flight last term, 21 points behind champions Juventus.

If they beat AC Milan on Sunday, they will go back to the top of the table with 15 games of the season remaining.

Pirlo, who played under Conte at Juve between 2011 and 2014, said he is not surprised by the impact Conte has had at the San Siro, per Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Sam France of Goal):

"[I am] not at all [surprised], because I know him too well. I knew Inter would be at this level, fighting for the league title until the end. He always leads you to give your best, to play better than you think you can. He is addicted to winning, if he loses you can't talk to him. He becomes a devil."

Inter last won the Scudetto in 2009-10 at the end of a run of five consecutive titles.

Juve are on an eight-season winning run at the moment, but they have both Inter and Lazio challenging them this season.

The Old Lady's campaign for a ninth consecutive league triumph has stuttered in recent weeks.

First they lost away to Napoli on January 26, and then they were shocked by Hellas Verona on Saturday.

In Cristiano Ronaldo, though, they have one of the most in-form strikers in Europe, and Inter need to ensure they take advantage of Juve's slight blip as it is unlikely to last much longer:

10 - Cristiano #Ronaldo is the 1st #Juventus' player to have found the net in 10 successive games played by the Bianconeri in the history of the Serie A. Star.#VeronaJuve pic.twitter.com/U8UZVSesWK

— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) February 8, 2020

Next up for Juve in the league is a home clash with relegation-battling Brescia, which is likely to return them three points.

Inter, meanwhile, visit Lazio next in the league. The Rome club last lost a Serie A game when they visited Inter on September 25, a run of 18 games unbeaten that has propelled them into title contention. 

Former Inter Milan and Chile star Ivan Zamorano believes Barcelona midfielder Arturo Vidal will join the Nerazzurri in the summer, and he hopes compatriot Alexis Sanchez will stay in the Italian fashion capital as well. 

The Chilean told Radio Cooperativa (h/t Football Italia) he has "privileged information" regarding Vidal's switch to Inter:

"The most important thing is that Alexis enjoy his football, because when he was finding form, he got injured. He didn't play much at Manchester and that meant he arrived not fully fit.

"I would like Sanchez to remain in Milan, especially as in June he'll get the chance to play alongside another Chilean, who will very probably come to the club.

"Let's just say I am optimistic we'll see two Chileans at Inter next season and I have some privileged information on that score. We all know what Vidal means for Antonio Conte and I am sure in June the club will intensify its efforts to sign him from Barcelona. Inter fans would be very happy to have Arturo."

The former Juventus man was strongly linked with the Nerazzurri in the January transfer window, and according to Mundo Deportivo (h/t Football Italia), the Catalans even accused him of trying to force a transfer by bringing a lawsuit against his current club.

A move never materialised, and Vidal has remained a regular part of the rotation at the Camp Nou, seeing playing time in five matches in January.

The 32-year-old played some of the best football of his career under Antonio Conte at Juventus. The Italian is now the coach at Inter, explaining why both parties were reportedly interested in a reunion. The Nerazzurri were desperate for midseason reinforcements to help their first Serie A title push in years.

Inter invested heavily in the summer as well, signing Romelu Lukaku and taking a chance on team-mate and United flop Sanchez. The winger returned to Italy on loan, but injuries have sidelined him for large stretches of the 2019-20 season.

His only Serie A goal came in the 3-1 win over Sampdoria, where he also saw his first red card of the season:

Sanchez's poor form so far makes it unlikely Inter will try to sign him on a permanent deal once the loan expires. Per the Guardian's Fabrizio Romano and Marcus Christenson, there was no option included in the deal.

Zamorano spent half a decade at Inter, winning the UEFA Cup in 1998. He finished his career back in Chile with Colo-Colo and also had stints in Spain with Real Madrid and Sevilla.

Inter Milan CEO Giuseppe Marotta has said the Italians tried to land Chelsea forward Olivier Giroud during the January transfer window but that the Blues were not willing to negotiate his exit.

Marotta spoke to Sky Sport Italia (h/t Football Italia) to assess the window, and according to him, the Blues' stance was the reason the move did not go ahead:

"We are satisfied with the overall transfer window, as we wanted to raise the quality level of the squad and achieved that objective.

"The January window is all about taking opportunities, but we also brought in valuable experience and quality to bolster our options.

"There were some priorities, which were the players we signed, so were completely satisfied. We had wanted another target, which was Giroud, but Chelsea were not prepared to even negotiate with us."

That stands in contrast to what was reported in France when it became clear the transfer would not happen toward the end of the window. According to RMC (h/t Get French Football News), the parties had agreed to a deal, and the Italians pulled the plug:

Chelsea are aghast at the conduct of Inter Milan, who had convinced both Olivier Giroud & CFC that they would conclude his signing, only to do a u-turn, according to RMC https://t.co/59Kk6IxMn4

— Get French Football News (@GFFN) January 29, 2020

Per the report, Inter made contact in December and had everyone convinced they would bring him in. When they reneged, Giroud's entourage tried to find another club, but at that point Chelsea had taken him off the market.

Tammy Abraham suffered an injury, leaving the Blues short on depth. They were linked to Napoli's Dries Mertens, but that transfer never seemed likely.

Giroud's position as the starting striker for France at this summer's UEFA Euro 2020 tournament is far from certain, and the former Arsenal man needs playing time badly.

GFFN were not happy when Chelsea didn't even include him in the matchday squad shortly after taking him off the market:

It is an insult to Olivier Giroud, one of the world’s best target men, to talk about how “professional” he’s been & block him from leaving one day, to not including him in your 18-man squad the following day & finish a game you’re not winning with a winger as a striker instead.

— Get French Football News (@GFFN) February 1, 2020

The 33-year-old has started just two Premier League matches so far this season.

Inter armed themselves for the Serie A title race by bringing in three players with Premier League experience. Christian Eriksen, Victor Moses and Ashley Young made their way to the Italian fashion capital, joining Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez, who both left Manchester United for the Nerazzurri last summer.

Lukaku has formed a fantastic partnership with Lautaro Martinez, combining for 27 Serie A goals so far. Depth is limited behind those two, however, with 17-year-old star prospect Sebastiano Esposito the next man up.

Antonio Conte has said he did not intend for Christian Eriksen to make his Inter Milan debut so soon after the midfielder played 24 minutes in Wednesday's 2-1 Coppa Italia quarter-final win against Fiorentina.

Eriksen only completed his £17 million move from Tottenham Hotspur to the San Siro on Tuesday, signing a contract until 2024. In his first outing for Inter, he replaced Alexis Sanchez in the 66th minute to a rapturous reception from the home crowd.

Conte said after Inter's victory that he had not wanted to put Eriksen into action so quickly, but his hand was forced by a lack of midfielders, per Rai Sport (h/t Goal's Patric Ridge): 

"We did not intend to use Eriksen so soon, as he only started training with us yesterday, but Matias Vecino and [Nicolo] Barella were the only available midfielders. Eriksen has character and raises the quality level of the squad. I hope to get more players back, because we really are limited in the middle.

"We tried a system with a trequartista today to deal with the absence of Stefano Sensi and Marcelo Brozovic. Eriksen can play in a few different roles, and we'll see—it could be an option, but we need to work on it a lot more. We were rather forced into using the three strikers together because I found out about the problems in midfield."

Moments after Eriksen's introduction, Barella scored what proved to be the winner.

Martin Caceres had cancelled out Antonio Candreva's first-half goal on the hour.

Eight minutes from time, Eriksen appeared to have registered his first assist for the club when he fed Lautaro Martinez beyond the defence and the Argentinian converted through goalkeeper Pietro Terracciano's legs. But the goal was ruled out for offside.

Inter's victory put them through to the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia, where they will take on Napoli in a two-legged tie. The other semi-final sees AC Milan take on Juventus.

Inter closed to within three points of the Old Lady at the top of Serie A when they drew 1-1 with Cagliari in their most recent league game.

They are back in action away to Udinese on Sunday after Juve host Fiorentina in Turin.

Christian Eriksen has expressed his delight at joining Inter Milan from Tottenham Hotspur before the end of the January transfer window.

The Denmark international completed a move to the San Siro on Tuesday, while Spurs tied up a permanent switch for Real Betis loanee Giovani Lo Celso, per the Lilywhites' official website.

Speaking to Inter TV (h/t Lee Wilmot of Football.London), Eriksen said he can't wait to play in Serie A after seven years in the Premier League:

"I couldn't wait to join, it's wonderful to be here and I'm happy to be a new Inter player. I'm very excited and can't wait to introduce myself to the fans. I've already experienced their warmth, it's been a fantastic welcome. I feel great. [...]

"The numbers say that I did really well in England. It's now time to start a new challenge, I'm really happy to have the opportunity to play in Serie A for a big team. Inter is a fantastic club."

Eriksen has remained on the fringes of Spurs' starting XI this term after failing to sign a new deal to remain in the capital.

Last summer, Matt Law of the Telegraph reported Spurs valued the playmaker at £130 million, but with the Dane's contract running down to its expiry, the club have been forced to accept a much lower fee. Eriksen had told Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet (h/t Law) he was ready for a new challenge elsewhere, triggering Spurs' large valuation.

Per Wilmot, Inter have reportedly paid £16.9 million for the 27-year-old's services in what could turn out to be a phenomenal deal for Antonio Conte as his team chase the Serie A title. The Nerazzurri are second behind Juventus by three points.

Inter tweeted a message from their new star wearing their famous club colours:

👂 | LISTEN UP, #INTERFANS!@ChrisEriksen8 has something to say 😜⚫️🔵#WelcomeChristian #NotForEveryone pic.twitter.com/Bz1icmh8l4

— Inter ⭐⭐ (@Inter_en) January 28, 2020

Spurs are now in transition under new manager Jose Mourinho, and the loss of Eriksen is not compensated by Lo Celso. The Argentina international arrived in August on a season-long loan, but Tottenham are now a player lighter.

Eriksen carved out a phenomenal career with Spurs after signing from Ajax in 2013. The attacker became one of the Premier League's modern No. 10s, operating in multiple roles as English club tactics evolved.

Lo Celso, 23, is a rising talent who will benefit from increased responsibility in Mourinho's setup. However, the Argentinian has failed to score in 14 Premier League appearances this season, and Spurs will need to re-evaluate their attacking options while Harry Kane recovers from a hamstring injury.

Christian Eriksen has joined Inter Milan after signing a contract until 2024 with the Serie A giants.  

The Nerazzurri confirmed the signing on their Twitter account:

🚨 | ANNOUNCEMENT

Milano: your elegance is about to meet its match.

👉 https://t.co/5NPAw5M3Xj#WelcomeChristian #NotForEveryone ⚫🔵 pic.twitter.com/on6q0fIVvP

— Inter ⭐⭐ (@Inter_en) January 28, 2020

According to Fabrizio Romano of the Guardian, Inter agreed a €20 million (£17 million) fee with Spurs to sign the Denmark international.

The move brings to an end Eriksen's lengthy tenure with Spurs which began in 2013. He helped the club reach the UEFA Champions League final last season before expressing a desire to leave north London during the summer.

Eriksen has been inconsistent, with Dele Alli, Giovani Lo Celso and Harry Winks taking on more of the creative burden for Spurs. Some Tottenham fans even booed Eriksen when the Dane was substituted during the 1-0 defeat to Premier League leaders Liverpool, per Football.London's Joe Doyle.

Despite the negative reaction, Eriksen still showcased the quality that kept him on the radars of top clubs around Europe:

Christian Eriksen created more chances than any other Spurs player vs. Liverpool (4) and only the three centre-backs made more clearances (4).

Not nice? https://t.co/QirpPJjqMf

— Squawka (@Squawka) January 11, 2020

Inter have been tracking the 27-year-old for a while, with director Piero Ausilio recently saying the club had confidence a deal could be reached, per Sky Sports.

For that to happen, Inter and Spurs needed to agree on a fee. Inter's initial attempts included offering £13 million, according to Mike McGrath of The Telegraph.

Landing Eriksen represents a huge fillip for Inter's chances of dethroning Juventus in the Italian top flight. He will add some extra ingenuity and technique at the heart of the engine room.

So far, Inter have relied on the industry of the likes of Marcelo Brozovic, Roberto Gagliardini and Antonio Candreva. Eriksen's eye for a pass, shooting power from distance and quality when delivering set pieces will be key to creating more chances for prolific strike duo Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez.

Christian Eriksen: Only Lionel Messi (9) has created more clear-cut goalscoring opportunities than @ChrisEriksen8 (8) in the Champions League this season

For more player stats -- https://t.co/uKbjDP0WEj pic.twitter.com/cF7XswVVeN

— WhoScored (@WhoScored) June 1, 2019

Christian Eriksen: Scored more goals from outside of the box (6) than any other player in the Premier League last season

For more player stats -- https://t.co/uKbjDPixvR pic.twitter.com/gSeWLkfbIO

— WhoScored (@WhoScored) August 6, 2019

Inter boss Antonio Conte knows all about Eriksen's quality thanks to his time in charge of Chelsea. The schemer becomes the latest former Premier League talent, along with Manchester United loanee Alexis Sanchez, Lukaku, Victor Moses and Ashley Young to be acquired by Conte since last summer.

Inter Milan chief executive officer Beppe Marotta said on Sunday that a deal to bring Tottenham Hotspur's Christian Eriksen to the San Siro is close to completion.

Marotta told DAZN (h/t Football Italia) that he is optimistic the Nerazzurri have won the race for the Denmark international's signature.

"We won't hide, you all know we've been negotiating with Tottenham for some time. His contract is due to expire on June 30, so the only rights we are discussing are for those six months. We are optimistic and hope the deal can be finalised as soon as possible, especially as the transfer window closes on Friday."

Eriksen is expected to arrive in Milan on Monday and undergo a medical with Antonio Conte's side, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano:

Christian Eriksen tomorrow will be in Milano and will undergo his medicals as new Inter player. 🇩🇰 #THFC #Tottenham #Inter

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) January 26, 2020

Inter Milan will pay Tottenham £16.8 million for the playmaker, who will earn up to £320,000 per week at the San Siro, according to Sky Sports.

Eriksen joined Tottenham from Ajax in 2013 and has been a key player for Spurs. At his best he is a silky playmaker who brings goals and assists.

Opta noted his record in north London:

1 - Since his Premier League debut on 14/09/2013, Cristian Eriksen has assisted the most goals (62), created the most chances (570) and scored the most goals from outside the box (23) & from direct free-kicks (8) in the competition. Arrivederci? pic.twitter.com/BbQslqQK7j

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 13, 2020

Yet Eriksen appears to have grown disillusioned at Tottenham and said in June 2019 that he wanted to leave. He told Ekstra Bladet (h/t Matt Law at the Telegraph) that he "would like to try something new."

Tottenham have tried to convince Eriksen to stay by offering him a new deal but that has been turned down, according to journalist Nicolo Schira:

Christian #Eriksen has rejected a #Tottenham’s bid for renewing his contract until 2024 (wages of €9M a year). In summer he will leave as a free agent. #Inter, #PSG and #RealMadrid are really interested in him. #transfers #THFC

— Nicolò Schira (@NicoSchira) November 25, 2019

Eriksen's arrival at Inter Milan will continue a busy transfer window for Conte's side and increase the number of former Premier League stars at the San Siro. The club have already signed Ashley Young from Manchester United and Victor Moses on loan from Chelsea, while Olivier Giroud remains a target, according to Sky in Italy (h/t Sky Sports).

Inter Milan announced on Thursday that Victor Moses has joined on loan from Chelsea with an option to buy:

🚨 | NEW SIGNING

Transfer complete: @VictorMoses is a Nerazzurri player! ⚫🔵

👉 https://t.co/dLY0g8wIpB#WelcomeVictor #NotForEveryone pic.twitter.com/jl0ZrtqPHf

— Inter ⭐⭐ (@Inter_en) January 23, 2020

Moses had been on loan at Turkish side Fenerbahce but heads to the San Siro in a move that will see him reunited with former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte.

Moses will wear the No. 11 shirt at the San Siro and has spoken about the prospect of playing for the 50-year-old again in Serie A to Inter TV:

"Having the opportunity to work with the coach again is something I'm really happy about. I've spoken to him, and he's already explained the club's project to me. I want to be part of it, I'm happy to be here. I'll give my all and want to help the team. There's a lot of quality here, I want to make my contribution out on the pitch and enjoy myself. That's the most important thing."

Conte successfully converted Moses from a winger to a wing-back during his two years at Stamford Bridge, and the Nigerian played a key role in the Blues' Premier League title win in 2017:

Victor Moses' 2016/17 Premier League season by numbers:

34 games played
28 games won
172 recoveries
120 crosses
54 take-ons completed
47 tackles made
41 interceptions
32 fouls won
28 chances created
3 goals
2 assists
1 title

Reunited with Antonio Conte. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/IJ6iLRmFkq

— Squawka (@Squawka) January 23, 2020

Moses and Conte also won the 2018 FA Cup at Chelsea with a 1-0 win over Manchester United, but the Italian was sacked two months later by the Blues and replaced by Maurizio Sarri.

The arrival of Sarri saw Moses fall out of favour at Chelsea, and he left to join Fenerbahce on an 18-month loan in January 2019:

Good luck @VictorMoses, who joins Fenerbahce on loan until the end of the 2019/20 season 👑 pic.twitter.com/ewGRNwOs6u

— Chelsea FC USA (@ChelseaFCinUSA) January 25, 2019

Moses made 16 appearances for Fenerbahce in his first season with the club but has only featured six times in 2019-20 and has been sidelined since November because of injury.

He will now be hoping to kickstart his career with a coach he knows well and enjoyed success with during their time in the Premier League.

Moses becomes Inter Milan's second recruit of the January transfer window and follows Manchester United's Ashley Young in making the move to the San Siro. 

Inter chief executive officer Beppe Marotta told football journalist Fabrizio Romano the club are also in talks with Tottenham Hotspur over a move for Christian Eriksen and will also make a decision on whether to sign Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud.  

Inter Milan have submitted an official bid to Tottenham Hotspur to sign midfielder Christian Eriksen, Nerazzurri sporting director Piero Ausilio has confirmed. 

Ausilio told Sky Sport Italia (h/t Will Magee of Goal) that Inter are confident in their pursuit of the Denmark international despite there being a number of other interested parties:

"We just made an official bid to Tottenham to sign Christian Eriksen and now we're waiting. Many clubs are interested but we are confident trying to get a top player like Eriksen. As a top player, he has attracted the attention of the most important clubs in Europe. His contract is expiring in June, we are trying our best.

"But, I repeat, it is very difficult because we are talking about a great footballer and in these situations it is normal for many clubs to consider him. We will do everything possible."

The 27-year-old will be out of contract with Spurs at the end of the season.

He has been unsettled in north London since last summer under both Mauricio Pochettino and Jose Mourinho:

Be sad to see Christian Eriksen leave English football. Wonderful player on his day, vision and technique, dead-ball and moving. Farewell too long, should have gone last summer, but contribution deserves respect. Wants guarantee of CL football. PL and #thfc losing an entertainer.

— Henry Winter (@henrywinter) January 20, 2020

According to Magee, Inter made an opening offer £8.5 million for the former Ajax star, but after Spurs demanded double that price, their latest bid is £11 million plus bonuses.

That figure may not be enough, and Inter are prepared to up their offer to £12.8 million, according to Fabrizio Romano of the Guardian.

Tottenham are not in a strong negotiating position, given that Eriksen will be able to leave for free in the summer.

Antonio Conte's Inter side have been going blow-for-blow with eight-time defending champions Juventus in this season's Serie A title race and have a good chance of winning a first Scudetto since 2010.

However, back-to-back draws against Atalanta and Lecce have seen them drop four points behind the Old Lady, and Lazio are threatening to leapfrog them after 11 consecutive wins.

Inter need reinforcements this month in order to maintain their title chase, and Eriksen's combination of creativity and experience would make him an ideal addition.