A season of lights and shadows on a collective level but which nevertheless turned the spotlight on several young people from the Inter U23 project. Among these, two names above all are attracting attention and reflections in view of the summer: Issiaka Kamate and Luka Topalovic. Two different paths and sometimes opposite characteristics, yet an evident common denominator: having demonstrated that Serie C is close to both.
Kamate tra cadetteria, Serie A ed estero: il mercato si muove attorno al francese
If there is a player who represented the offensive unpredictability of the Under 23s for better or for worse, it was Kamate. The Frenchman, on his right wing, has often been the main point of reference for the Nerazzurri's acceleration. A player capable of creating numerical superiority almost from nothing, despite sometimes paying for a certain frenzy in his choices and a tendency to persist in individual play. Physiological limits for a 21 year old, which however do not seem to have cooled the market's interest in the slightest.
Vicenza, newly promoted to Serie B, is the club that has taken the most concrete steps so far but Serie A clubs and foreign clubs are also gathering information about the player. The hypothesis of an exchange with Sandon, which has been circulating in the red and white environment in recent weeks, seems to have cooled. The feeling is that Inter wants to take the time necessary to choose the best solution for its growth, without speeding up decisions exclusively linked to the market. After all, Kamate, in addition to the more than good season in Serie C with 6 goals and 3 assists, has already sent signals in the first team too, with his debut in the Italian Cup marked by an assist against Torino.
Topalovic, l’assist pregevole contro il Bologna e le parole di Chivu: talento senza scorciatoie
Different story for Topalovic, one of the most technically refined profiles of the second Nerazzurri team. The Slovenian ended his first year among professionals with positive numbers, 4 goals and 6 assists in 37 appearances (not always as a starter), but above all with the feeling of having given a glimpse of even higher qualities than what the numbers reveal. And on the last day of the Serie A championship he gave a further demonstration of his potential: coming on at the end against Bologna, he only needed a few minutes to invent a perfect vertical through ball for Diouf, which was then transformed into the final 3-3. An assist that for many was an official presentation in front of the general public.
Ashley Cole's Cesena is already moving around him but the possibility of a loan in Serie A or even abroad also remains open. A definitive transfer, however, is not taken into consideration at all by Inter, who continue to see the Slovenian born in 2006 as one of the most interesting profiles in their technical supply chain.
And this is where Mr. Chivu's words also come in, apparently simple but very indicative of his and the club's philosophy: "We're trying to give him a taste of Serie A to understand what the level of the championship is and that the leap isn't easy." In short, young people must be valued without rushing ahead. Because the real goal is not just to get to the first team, but to "have what it takes" to stay there.