INTER PRESIDENT DISMISSES CONTE’S CLAIMS—"NAPOLI ARE CLEAR FAVOURITES FOR SERIE A
Inter Milan president Beppe Marotta admits Davide Frattesi could leave while labelling Napoli the "clear favourites" for the title.
Inter President Beppe Marotta isn't ruling out Davide Frattesi leaving, and he's laughing off Antonio Conte’s suggestion that only Inter, Milan, and Juve can win the league, saying, ‘Napoli are clear favourites for the title.’
Inter didn't win anything in 2025, losing to Bologna on penalties in the Italian Super Cup semi-final after drawing 1-1.
Still, they're leading Serie A. Has 2025 been good for them?
Marotta thinks Inter is strong but calls out Conte.
Marotta told DAZN Italia, “I’m happy if fans think this year was a good one—it shows they appreciate all the hard work from everyone here.”
After Napoli beat Cremonese 2-0, Conte said Inter, AC Milan, and Juventus are the only teams that can win Serie A, saying it would be extraordinary if anyone else did.
Marotta smiled and said, “I don’t want to start anything. Conte’s good at talking and moving attention away from himself and onto others.”
He continued, “I can say that Napoli are the favourites to win Serie A. They're the current champs, they made some good signings over the summer, and they're the only one of the top four teams that kept their coach, which gives them stability.
“We changed how we do things and signed some young players. It’ll be a close race, but Napoli deserves to be seen as the team to beat.”
Hakan Calhanoglu is back in midfield after his sore muscle against Liverpool, but Ange-Yoan Bonny, Francesco Acerbi, Denzel Dumfries, Matteo Darmian, Tomas Palacios, and Raffaele Di Gennaro are still out.
Even so, Frattesi still isn't playing much, and Cristian Chivu seemed to suggest there are issues with the midfielder behind the scenes.
“I need to make it clear that Frattesi has always been disciplined. Obviously, if a player isn't getting enough time on the pitch, he has the right to think about other options. We don't want to stop anyone from leaving.
“Frattesi hasn't said he wants to move yet. It's still early, and we'll get a chance to sit down and chat with him about it.”
Dumfries is out for a few months after surgery, so Inter has been linked with Marco Palestra, who is owned by Atalanta but is currently on loan at Cagliari.
When asked if Inter will sign someone to replace Dumfries, Marotta said, “It's simplistic to think one player can change everything. But we're not taking anything for granted, so we'll see what the transfer market has to offer.
“Palestra isn't a target. He's not our player; he belongs to another team, and there's no way we can get him. We’ll look at the market, but there aren’t many players available in January.”
RADJA NAINGGOLAN SLAMS NAPOLI’S SCOTT MCTOMINAY AS "JUST AVERAGE" IN TV RANT
Radja Nainggolan has sparked controversy by calling Napoli's Scudetto winner Scott McTominay "average" in a scathing TV interview.
Scott McTominay’s journey from Manchester United to Napoli has been wild. He’s helped the club win a Scudetto, snagged a Ballon d’Or nomination, and his goal tally is impressive. But not everyone’s sold on him. Even with all those honours, one Serie A legend isn’t convinced. Radja Nainggolan slammed him as just “an average player".
After McTominay’s £26 million jump from Old Trafford in 2024, he took off. He won the Serie A MVP, clinched Napoli’s fourth Scudetto with a spectacular overhead goal against Cagliari, and made a big mark in Italy. Still, Nainggolan, never shy with an opinion, tore into him during a TV interview. Despite McTominay racking up 26 goals in 76 games and getting a Ballon d’Or nod, Nainggolan didn’t hold back. “I don’t like him,” he said on Sky Calcio Unplugged. “He gets his goals, 12, 13, 14 a season, but his general play? He doesn’t have the technique to move between the lines. He’s just average.”
And he wasn’t content to leave it at that. Nainggolan compared himself to today’s names, arguing he was better than both McTominay and Inter’s Hakan Calhanoglu at his best, though he admitted Nicolo Barella sits above him. “At my peak, I was better than McTominay and Calhanoglu, but Barella is on another level,” Nainggolan said. “He doesn’t always score a lot, but when he does, it matters, and you always feel his presence on the pitch. I like De Bruyne, too; he sees things nobody else does. He’s above me, and Modric...he’s always been world-class.”
Of course, Nainggolan’s take doesn’t really jibe with life in Naples. McTominay has become something of a hero there; his face is on murals around the city, the fans have dubbed him ‘McFratm’ (McBrother), and he helped Napoli win the Supercoppa Italiana in December 2025. Even if Inter seems ready to grab the Serie A crown back, McTominay’s reputation hasn’t dipped. His knack for scoring from midfield has been crucial for Conte’s side.
Nainggolan also touched on Belgium’s so-called “Golden Generation” and why they didn’t deliver a major trophy, despite stars like Lukaku, Hazard, and De Bruyne. He knows the team well, having made 30 appearances before retiring after he got left out of the 2018 World Cup squad. “We had Lukaku, Hazard, De Bruyne, and Courtois. Too many superstars, too many egos,” Nainggolan said. “Everyone wanted to be the star, to be the most important guy, and that just doesn’t work.” His take pretty much confirms what fans suspected: there was plenty of talent, but not enough unity.
MANCHESTER UNITED AND CHELSEA ENTER RACE FOR DISCOUNTED €50M-RATED RAFAEL LEãO
Discover why Rafael Leão’s value has plummeted at AC Milan and which Premier League clubs are leading the race to sign him.
Just a year ago, everyone was buzzing about Rafael Leao and his rumoured €120 million move to Chelsea. Fast forward to this summer’s transfer window, and it looks like AC Milan’s ready to let him go for nowhere near that amount. Manchester United, along with a few others, are circling, hoping to get him for much less.
Last week, Gazzetta dello Sport broke the news: Milan now values Leao at just €50 million. That’s a wild drop, especially since six months ago they slapped a €100 million price tag on him.
So what happened? Why did his value tank so quickly?
Perception plays a big part. Leao’s estimated transfer value hasn’t actually changed that much. FootballTransfers’ algorithm had him pegged at €72.5 million last July, and now he’s at €70.7 million. But Milan’s own estimate? That’s fallen off a cliff.
Last summer, Milan wanted €50 million above the algorithm’s number. Now, they’re ready to accept an offer that’s €20 million below it.
Leao once had everything going for him in Milan. In the 2021/22 season, he carried them to the Scudetto, racking up 11 goals and 10 assists. Clubs were fighting over him, and in 2023, Milan rewarded him with a hefty €7 million salary and a massive €175 million release clause. That’s when top European clubs started sniffing around for a record-breaking deal.
But the new contract didn’t spark another big season for Leao. In his next campaign, he scored 15 goals and managed 14 assists, but fans started to turn, especially after two weak outings against Roma in the Europa League.
Things haven’t improved since. Early in the 2024/25 season, Milan benched him for disciplinary reasons, and he seemed pretty unfazed, something that sparked more criticism. He’s had some public clashes with head coach Max Allegri, too. Despite still being Milan’s top scorer, he hasn’t scored in two months. And the fans? They’ve booed him at home games, most recently against Juventus and earlier against Udinese.
Now, Milan looks ready to move on. Leao’s raw talent is still obvious, but at San Siro, the excitement has faded. SciSports, the data analytics folks, show his performance is in “significant decline” based on their SciSkill rating. Still, they think he can bounce back.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Milan plans to hold off until the World Cup, hoping Leao puts on a big show for Portugal and builds hype again.
He’s still got admirers. Arsenal’s been keeping tabs on him, FootballTransfers said back in February. Chelsea, Liverpool, and United are all in the market for a left-sided attacker and would jump at the chance to grab a rejuvenated Leao.
Sure, the €120 million rumours are a thing of the past. But the old Leão, the top-class player, is still in there somewhere. He just needs the right club, coach, and a fresh start.
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