The Nerazzurri management has been in talks with Perisic for a long time without securing PSV’s approval, convinced Diaby but not Al-Ittihad, abandoned Cancelo after the Portuguese player gave the green light to Barcelona, and held talks with Norton-Cuffy. No one arrived, so for squad rotation, only the very young players remain

“Luis Henrique is an asset to the club that must be protected,” “I focus on the players I have,” “The transfer market? I can’t wait for it to end…” And then? “The transfer market is a bastard.” In Chivu’s own words: “It doesn’t always go as planned, and that’s fine with us. The club tried until the very end to do what we’d asked for, but it didn’t work out.” Cristian Chivu’s approach to discussing the transfer market—at least publicly—changed once the winter window closed. For the first time this season, the Inter coach used slightly stronger language than usual, speaking out in a decidedly more direct manner than in the recent past. And with good reason, one might think, because the number of Nerazzurri signings made in January speaks for itself: zero. Or rather, two, to be completely honest. But that still amounts to zero, considering that young Jakirovic will be assigned to the Under-23 team and that Massolin will remain in Modena until the end of the season.

Inter had been in talks with Diaby for a long time, buoyed by the player’s clear desire to move to Milan; they spoke with Norton-Cuffy to be prepared for Dumfries’ potential departure; they waited for Cancelo before the Portuguese player received a more appealing offer from Barcelona; they waited for PSV’s elimination from the Champions League to sign Perisic. And then? Signings: zero. For one reason or another. So there it is: the reason behind Chivu’s slight frustration after the Coppa Italia match against Torino. It’s understandable after having dreamed of and held out hope for as many as four new signings, only to see them slip away one by one. The Nerazzurri coach acknowledged that the club had tried its very best, directing his frustration more toward the dynamics of the transfer market. But at the same time, certain requests—literally “what we had asked for”—were very much on the table. In the end, no new faces materialized, which is why Chivu expressed some concern about the second half of the season and, against Torino in the Coppa Italia, fielded two young players—Cocchi and Kamate—to give some breathing room to those who have logged the most minutes so far.

The past teaches us—  Last year, when Inter was still competing on all fronts and some were even beginning to draw parallels between José Mourinho and Simone Inzaghi, the January transfer window came to the rescue of a team that was bound to finish the season physically exhausted. Signings? Just one: Zalewski. And he can’t be faulted for anything: in a short time, the former Roma player had quickly become an important part of the Nerazzurri squad, even setting up De Vrij for the decisive equalizer in the Polish player’s debut derby and securing a substantial capital gain for the club just six months later. Zalewski’s energy. “The energy” Chivu needs to stay at the top this season: “We need stamina and energy to handle the demands of January—and those that will come in February.” And the reason for the coach’s concern still lies entirely within that term “energy.” Because Inter, excluding young players on loan, has a roster of 24 players. This is ideal for getting to know each player and getting the most out of them, but less so from a purely athletic standpoint. Chivu’s team has already played 34 matches across Serie A, the Coppa Italia, the Champions League, and the Super Cup—to which, in the best-case scenario, another 27 could be added for a total of 61 matches if Inter were to go all the way in every competition. A couple of signings on the transfer market would likely have come in handy to better manage the team’s energy levels from here on out. But despite this, the Nerazzurri remain atop the Italian league and are still in contention in the Champions League. “We’ll take it one step at a time to continue our journey this season,” Chivu added. And so it is.