Inter Milan coach Simone Inzaghi said star striker Romelu Lukaku’s departure came as a surprise to him, but he insisted the club are ready to defend their Serie A title this season nonetheless.
Inter kick off the new campaign at home to Genoa today in former Lazio coach Inzaghi’s first season at the club having replaced Antonio Conte in the close season.
Lukaku was Inter’s top goalscorer last season (24 league goals) as they stormed to their first Scudetto in 11 years, with the Belgium international named best overall MVP of Serie A, the official league award for the player of the season.
Such form persuaded Chelsea to bring Lukaku back to the Premier League for a reported club record fee of 97.5mn pounds ($132.81mn) last week, with new boss Inzaghi lining up a replacement for the Belgian.
“It was an unexpected departure, it was not planned,” Inzaghi told a news conference yesterday.
“We tried to persuade him to stay but the boy was very determined. I understand why he is so appreciated by everyone, he came to me with a lot of intelligence and told me that Chelsea were his dream and that his decision had been made.
“We talked together with the directors but he had already decided. Now (Edin) Dzeko has arrived and another striker will arrive, too.”
Inter also lost livewire defender Achraf Hakimi to Paris Saint-Germain, with midfielder Christian Eriksen in Denmark being monitored by doctors following his cardiac arrest suffered on the pitch during Euro 2020.
Inzaghi still feels his side are well prepared. “We will do everything to ensure that things go well this season,” he added. “It is a season where there will be difficulties but I am confident.
“The goal is tomorrow’s match against Genoa. Something is missing from the (transfer) market but I am happy with what we have done so far.
“We knew we would have problems, we had to sell Hakimi, we will not have Eriksen and then the unexpected sale of Lukaku came. But the boys have worked hard and we are determined to do our best to defend the Scudetto we have on our chest.”

Lukaku aims to follow in Drogba’s footsteps at Chelsea
Lukaku, meanwhile, has said he hopes to emulate club great Didier Drogba as he prepares to make his second debut for the London side in tomorrow’s Premier League clash at Arsenal.
Drogba, who also had two spells at Chelsea scoring 164 goals in 381 games, won four Premier League titles, four FA Cups and the Champions League in a combined nine seasons at the club.
“He’s a winner in every sense of the word and that’s the thing I want to achieve for this club,” Lukaku told Sky Sports.
“It would mean the world to me. I said I wanted to do this as a child and now I’m here, I’m going to the training ground every day with the same determination to help my team win.”
Lukaku said he was still in touch with Drogba, who he played with at Stamford Bridge during the 2011-12 campaign.
“We spoke a few days ago and we spoke about that time and about the progress I’ve made and what I have to keep improving — keeping the same hunger all the time,” Belgium international Lukaku added.