Inter Milan announced the double signing on Monday of Diego Godin from Atletico Madrid and Valentino Lazaro from Hertha Berlin.
Godin needs little introduction and it was one of the worst kept secrets in football that the Uruguayan defender was going to join the Nerazzurri upon the expiration of his Atletico Madrid contract.
Godin's Roll of Honour
Godin joined Atletico in 2010 and actually hade his debut in the 2010 UEFA Super Cup against Inter, which Atletico won. Over his nine years with the club, he grew into one of the best defenders in world football and helped Atleti win a league title, a Copa del Rey, two UEFA Super Cups, a Spanish Super Cup, and two UEFA Europa Leagues.
Godin has signed a three year deal with Inter and despite being 33 years old he should still have plenty left in the tank. He was never the fastest defender, so with little pace to lose his organizational skills and prowess in the art of closely marking attackers should see him stand the test of time.
Potential wing back?
Lazaro arrives from Hertha Berlin for a fee of £19.7 million. He is an Austrian international and can play anywhere down the right side of the pitch. With Antonio Conte usually preferring to play three at the back, it's likely that the new boss sees Lazaro as an option to play as a right wing back.
He began his career with Red Bull Salzburg before moving to Hertha in 2017. During his two years with Die Alte Dame he made over 50 Bundesliga appearances for the team, scoring five goals and assisting on another 11. Considering he played a lot of those games as a right-back those numbers are more than respectable and he should be a good signing for Inter.
Juventus have been the dominant force in Italy for a long time now but with Conte as manager and former Juventus CEO, Beppe Marotta, now in the same role at Inter the Nerazzurri will be hopeful of a good season as they attempt to start a journey that will take them to a place where they can regularly compete for honours both at home and abroad.