The club is following the strategy laid out by Oaktree: Sommer’s contract expires next June, so the new starting goalkeeper must meet very specific criteria

A revolving door? At Inter, it doesn’t quite work that way. Sommer, Onana, Handanovic—and before them, Julio Cesar, Toldo, Frey, Peruzzi. All the way back to Pagliuca, Zenga, and Bordon. There’s only one starting goalkeeper; the others serve as backups. Of course, they’re called upon when needed, but only when strictly necessary or to facilitate a transition from one season to the next. History speaks for itself: last year, the Swiss number one played 53 games compared to Josep Martinez’s 10; the year before, 43—with Audero playing just 6—following Onana’s stint and Handanovic’s long reign, during which he was accustomed to playing around fifty games a year while the various backups (over time: Cordaz, Radu, Padelli, Carrizo, Castellazzi, Belec) shared just a handful of appearances. The same was true even when the aforementioned “veterans” were firmly established between the posts. At the end of the current season, however, a new variable will come into play: Sommer’s contract. It expires on June 30 and will most likely not be renewed, unlike (again, most likely) that of third-string goalkeeper Di Gennaro, who is significantly less expensive and, above all, useful for squad-list purposes since he came up through Inter’s youth academy. In essence, at least one spot in goal will open up. And so Inter must dive into the transfer market in search of a starter.

Another variable is Josep Martinez. The Spanish goalkeeper has always performed well when called upon for the Nerazzurri: 10 games, 6 clean sheets. This year, he’s taken the field twice, keeping a clean sheet once. However, the off-field incident that recently involved him has slowed his progress, which unfortunately seemed just around the corner. Pepo is going through a difficult personal period, and so in recent weeks he’s been working more to overcome that trauma than to unseat Sommer. It’s very likely that he’ll still be part of the Nerazzurri roster next year, but in what role? Will he be Sommer’s successor and thus the starting goalkeeper, or just the usual 12th man? It’s too early to say, though one thing is certain: Inter is exploring possible solutions between now and next summer. Three, mainly.

candidates—  Elia Caprile, Noah Atubolu, Zion Suzuki. These, among others, are the names the Nerazzurri management has been keeping a close eye on so far. Especially the first one, considered ideal in terms of age (he’s 24), nationality (Inter always places a strong emphasis on Italian players), and above all, readiness. Caprile gained valuable experience abroad at a very young age—at Leeds—was a starter for Bari, which came close to a sensational promotion to Serie A, proved himself brilliantly in his debut season in the top flight with Empoli, and, perhaps most importantly, chose to leave Napoli in the midst of their run toward what would later become the club’s fourth Scudetto to join Cagliari as a starter. Same story: he’s not lacking in personality. The Japanese player Suzuki is his age, but he’s likely to command a higher valuation, and above all, the injury that will keep him sidelined for the next 3–4 months has set his candidacy back.

Then there’s Noah Atubolu, perhaps the most exotic name on the list, but no less reliable for it. A German No. 1 of Nigerian descent playing for Freiburg, he has impressed so much in the Bundesliga that he earned a call-up to the national team from Nagelsmann. The wild card for the German club? A contract set to expire in 2027, which prevents Freiburg from demanding a sky-high transfer fee. It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly which profile Inter will target most aggressively at this point, but they will certainly follow the guidelines set by Oaktree: young, ready, and with potential. And no more expensive than 25–30 million