Joaquin Correa has offered an indication as to why he turned down Premier League side Everton before joining Inter Milan in a £25 million deal on Thursday, speaking to InterTV via Sempre Inter.
Maybe, just maybe, rumours of their demise have been greatly exaggerated.
If you believed the naysayers, an Inter side shorn of Romelu Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi – not to mention wrecking ball head coach Antonio Conte – would be lucky to qualify for the Champions League this season, let alone retain their Serie A crown.
But as Juventus stuttered against Udinese, as Napoli and AC Milan edged to nail-biting and unconvincing victories, Inter offered a timely reminder of their enduring brilliance on opening weekend.
A 4-0 opening day thrashing of Genoa felt like a massive statement of intent, especially with debutants Edin Dzeko and Hakan Calhanoglu dovetailing brilliantly in attack.
And Correa simply could not turn down a chance to join a club of such size and stature, even if a financial nightmare means this Nerazzuri side is not quite as fearsome as the one that stormed to Serie A glory in 2020/21.
Did Joaquin Correa choose the right club?
According to Alfredo Pedulla, Everton struck an agreement with Lazio for the skilful Argentina international.
But Correa was always holding out for Inter, rebuffing the Toffees in favour of a reunion with former Biancocelesti coach Simone Inzaghi at the San Siro.
“Playing for the Italian champions is a source of pride, a huge responsibility,” said Correa, who set Inter back £25 million.
“I wanted so much to come here and being here means a lot. I really want to help and show what I can do.
“(The presence of Inzaghi) is important. It certainly weighed a lot (on my mind). I had many offers but I chose to play for the coach again.”
Inter have now beaten Everton to two signings this summer, snapping up Euro 2020 phenomenon Denzel Dumfries from PSV Eindhoven a few weeks ago.
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