Inter ready to take January opportunities, says Spalletti

Inter head coach Luciano Spalletti is ready to grasp any opportunities that come his way during the January transfer window.

Spalletti’s men beat Udinese 1-0 last weekend to end a run of four games without a win in all competitions, which saw them drop out of the Champions League.

They lie third in Serie A, 14 points behind leaders Juventus, meaning there is obvious room for improvement ahead of Saturday’s trip to Chievo.

Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil was left out of the north London derby defeat to Tottenham in the EFL Cup quarter-finals this week and Calciomercato have reported the former Germany star is of interest to Inter.

Asked whether his club would make any January moves at a pre-match news conference, Spalletti confirmed he was open to high-quality reinforcements arriving.

“With our squad, it’s not easy to intervene and improve it considering the quality we have,” he said.

“Should there be an opportunity to do so, the club will certainly be ready to take it.”

One player whose future might reside away from San Siro is centre-back Milan Skriniar, with the Slovakia international’s negotiations over a new deal still some way from resolution, according to Tuttosport.

However, the 23-year-old’s present terms still have three and a half years to run and Spalletti offered assurances over his importance to the Inter cause.

| #Spalletti: “#Skriniar is a pillar of the side. For me, he’s perfect. If he has one drawback, it’s his first name and we’re working on it…” #ChievoInter pic.twitter.com/G1jXONcn0M

— Inter (@Inter_en) December 21, 2018

“Skriniar is a pillar of the side,” he said. “For me, he’s perfect.

“If he has one drawback, it’s his first name and we’re working on it!”

Fellow defender Miranda will miss out at Chievo due to a muscular complaint, although left-back Dalbert and combative midfielder Radja Nainggolan are stepping up their work in training.

Nainggolan (muscular) returned to action with a six-minute cameo at Udinese last time out, while Dalbert (leg) last featured in the 5-0 win over Genoa at the start of last month.