Serie A is about to begin, and Inter appear to be operating on a different level from their rivals. But the demands of the Champions League could give the chasing pack an opening, while Juventus may have a unique upside if their attacking talent clicks.
For the past three seasons, Inter have effectively been playing in a different league from their Serie A rivals. That only makes Napoli’s 2025 Scudetto under Antonio Conte all the more impressive.
The numbers tell the story. Inter have collected 262 points over the last three league campaigns, compared with 211 for Napoli, who rank second. That is a 51-point gap, or an average of 17 points per season. Juventus are on 210, Milan 208, Roma 205 and Atalanta 202, despite all of those clubs cycling through coaches and repeatedly shifting between rebuilding and restoring.
A gap that large cannot be closed in a single transfer window. With the new season only a week away, Inter are not merely the favorites for the title; they are starting several lengths ahead of the field.
Naturally, nobody at Inter is going to say that so openly. Publicly declaring superiority would only motivate their rivals. But president Beppe Marotta’s ambition for another deep Champions League run is revealing in itself. A club as strong as Inter has to set its sights higher, and its squad-building suggests that it is doing precisely that.
Consider Denzel Dumfries and Tottenham-bound alternative options such as Djed Spence. Spence offers less attacking threat than Dumfries but is more disciplined and aggressive defensively, potentially giving Inter the option of switching to a back four. That would allow them to remove the extra center-back that has become so characteristic of their Serie A setup and add another midfielder or winger, bringing them closer to the systems used by Europe’s elite.
Cristian Chivu hinted at such a transformation last season, and the potential arrival of a dynamic midfielder such as Curtis Jones could accelerate it.
The biggest hope for Inter’s rivals is that the club’s pursuit of two major objectives — Serie A and the Champions League — will inevitably stretch its resources. That is what happened, to some extent, during the final stages of last season, when Inter eventually lost the title race.
The question now is whether their rivals can take advantage. With two weeks still remaining in the transfer window, the market remains unsettled. Many clubs are still trying to sell players to balance their books, meaning plenty of business is yet to be completed.
At this stage, there is no reason to rule out Como as Inter’s main challenger.
Cesc Fabregas’ first four Serie A campaigns have produced an extraordinary progression: 18, 31, 33 and 38 points. The upward trajectory reflects both substantial financial backing and a clear sporting project.
Como have strengthened further this summer with international-caliber players such as Trevoh Chalobah and Yan Couto, while continuing to protect their promising young talent, including Martin Baturina. Then there is the Nico Paz operation — a calculated risk, but one that would remain financially defensible even if Real Madrid eventually chose not to exercise their buy-back option, given the player’s enormous market value.
It is a level of investment that is simply beyond the reach of most other Italian clubs.
Paz naturally brings to mind Franco Mastantuono and Fiorentina’s remarkable coup. Securing a high-quality loan from a major European club is increasingly becoming an art form, particularly given the financial dominance of the Premier League and Europe’s richest sides. Doing it without being able to offer European football makes Fiorentina’s achievement even more notable.
Fabio Paratici clearly appears to be a man looking for redemption, and his transfer work has been outstanding. From Fabio Grosso — a coach who could have united the views of FIGC president Gabriele Gravina and former Milan director Paolo Maldini had Fiorentina not secured him first — to the acquisitions of Assane Diao, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Radu Dragusin and Oumar Solet, Fiorentina have arguably put together the best transfer campaign in Italy.
Napoli, meanwhile, need Massimiliano Allegri to make a difficult pairing work: Scott McTominay alongside Kevin De Bruyne.
The two have so far tended to alternate rather than play together, but if McTominay is established as the team’s leader, particularly given his age, bringing the 35-year-old De Bruyne back to his best could produce even greater dividends than the already substantial impact Luka Modric has had at Milan at the age of 40.
Allegri is precisely the kind of coach who knows how to make such combinations work.
Paratici came close to joining Milan twice last year, and it is difficult not to wonder whether owner Gerry Cardinale now regrets that the move never happened. Given the chaos surrounding the Rossoneri, Milan could certainly use someone with his experience.
Ruben Amorim remains, in our view, a talented coach — and arguably a stronger option than Paulo Fonseca or Sérgio Conceição, two of the many Portuguese coaches Milan have turned to in recent years. But reaching mid-August without having even finalized the list of players to be discarded is an enormous gamble, particularly without an experienced sporting director firmly in place.
Juventus, by contrast, have largely confined their summer uncertainty to the goalkeeper position. The fact that they are considering unconventional short-term solutions, such as a loan deal for Zion Suzuki or another option, suggests that they may already have a longer-term plan for next summer.
Luciano Spalletti has also used the summer to rebuild confidence in areas where Juventus could not realistically make major additions. It is fortunate that the task of bringing together Yildiz, Alajbegovic, Francisco Conceição and potentially Joshua Zirkzee has fallen to a coach who has always valued individual talent.
If those players click, Juventus could develop something no other Italian club can currently offer: a genuinely unique attacking dimension.
Roma are also in the conversation to become Inter’s principal challenger. Their recent record is encouraging: for six consecutive seasons, they have either improved on or matched their previous league finish, suggesting that the club has built a solid underlying structure. Gian Piero Gasperini has already taken that foundation to 73 points and deserves another star to work with.
Then there is Atalanta, who have appointed Maurizio Sarri — and, in a sense, been chosen by him in return. Their squad is more than capable, leaving Sarri with one principal responsibility: coaching.
The conditions are there for Atalanta to make a serious run.
Inter remain the overwhelming favorite. But if the Champions League begins to take its toll, the gap that currently looks so intimidating could suddenly become much easier to close.
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