Former Arsenal and Manchester City defender Bacary Sagna believes Inter Milan are “the perfect club” for England internationals John Stones, Djed Spence and Curtis Jones, because their style is the closest in Serie A to that of a Premier League side.
Sagna, who spent part of his playing career in Italy with Benevento, said Inter’s intensity, identity and approach to possession should make the club a natural fit for English players.
The former France international also revealed he was close to joining Inter in 2014, after meeting former sporting director Piero Ausilio, who recently left the club after 28 years.
Sagna said he still wonders what might have happened had the move gone through.
“Well, first of all, yes, I am Interista. I love the club. I was very close to joining Inter, you know, in 2014. I met Piero Ausilio and, yeah, it’s probably maybe the question mark I will have in my life: what if I joined Inter?
“Because I still love the club today and I’m pleased to see them being successful”
Sagna was speaking to The Italian Football Podcast during an online event hosted by TalkSPORT Bet Online Slots.
He praised Inter for recruiting former Premier League players and suggested their experience of English football could have a significant effect on Serie A.
“I’m pleased to see them taking some ex teammates and ex Premier League players. I think they will have a direct impact on the league by the way they play, by the way they were raised in UK football.
“Italian football is different from UK. It’s less intense, so I think they will find it more comfortable. And they are smart players, players good on the ball.
“I think they joined the perfect club because, if I had to take a club with the best identity and the one that looks most like an English type of club, I would say it’s Inter.
“But Inter is smart. I mean, Piero Ausilio is a smart guy and he has been doing amazingly at the club. I saw he’s leaving. However, since a few years, I think Inter has been the most consistent and the team that plays the best football in Italy.
“And obviously winning competitions, and playing two times in the Champions League final. Also, the players know this.
“They look at the history of the club and it’s probably why it’s easier now to attract players. And John Stones played against Inter in the final. He probably saw Inter and witnessed Inter’s quality at the time.”
Sagna also backed Spence to perform in Italy, saying the England player could offer greater defensive balance than Denzel Dumfries.
He referred to Spence’s spell at Tottenham and his performances for England during the World Cup, describing him as one of the team’s most influential players and “probably the right-back of the tournament”.
“Djed Spence, yes, he had an amazing spell at Tottenham and, during the World Cup, he had a great impact. I think he was probably the right-back of the tournament.
“So, yeah, I’m not surprised to see them playing for Inter. It’s an institution, it’s a family club, and I think the way the club is run is magnificent. Magnificent.”
Sagna said Spence’s pace, one-on-one ability and recovery speed would make him particularly valuable when Inter face teams with dangerous wide players.
“I think Djed Spence is very balanced. He’s very good going forward. I don’t know if people watched England’s games during the World Cup, but he was probably one of the most impactful players for England.
“So, no, he’s going forward a lot. He’s good going forward and he’s fast. He can recover fast from a situation. He’s never out of position. He’s good one-on-one also. So I think he’s a more balanced player than Dumfries.
“Dumfries is really good going forward and having his word to say going forward, also scoring goals. But I think they didn’t lose in the change.
“I think Spence is a top, top player and he will prove everyone wrong. Whoever thinks he’s not as good as Dumfries, I think they will realise quite quickly that Inter did the right move by signing him.”
Sagna added that Inter’s strength lies in having players with different qualities, allowing manager Chivu to adapt his team according to the demands of each match.
“I think the balance has to be right. Most of the time, Inter is in possession of the ball, so when you are attacking most of the time, you don’t need to defend so much. So, of course, you can play Diouf.
“But whenever you’re going to have to face teams that attack with tricky wingers, defensively you have to close the side, and maybe Spence would be a better option. But this is also the beauty of Inter: they have the choice.
“Having the choice as a coach is amazing, and this is probably why Chivu wanted to buy this player, Spence. Because he probably knew that in the games where Inter will be attacked or more in trouble.
“When you have strong wingers like Vinicius, Spence will probably have more chances to play, because naturally he’s a better defender than Diouf.
“And when there will be open games and you’re going to have to attack a bit more, change tactically something, Diouf might have his say also.
“So I think, in the team, to have the right balance is good. And this is the case for Inter; this is the case for Arsenal.
“They have different types of players: always a more attacking option, but always a more defensive option. It depends on the demand of the game, and it’s a beauty to have two players of this quality”
Sagna concluded his playing career after a brief spell in Major League Soccer with Montreal Impact. Before that, he spent six months in Serie A with Benevento, joining the club on 3 February 2018 and making 13 appearances. He scored once, a 90th-minute equaliser in a 3-3 draw with Udinese.
Across a decade in the Premier League with Arsenal and Manchester City, Sagna played 267 top-flight matches and scored four goals. He won the FA Cup with Arsenal in the 2013-14 season and the Football League Cup with Manchester City in 2015-16.
Sagna won 65 caps for France, without scoring.
