Inter Talent Lost in the Shuffle After Busy Summer | OneFootball

Inter invested €23M to retain Aleksandar Stankovic from Club Brugge and rejected large offers for him afterward, but the club’s trust in him hasn’t translated into regular playing time. The youngster has been severely impacted by the arrival of Curtis Jones, logging just 16 minutes in 2 short appearances off the bench.

According to Calciomercato, only Djed Spence, who’s never been available, and the backup goalies have been utilized less than the Serbian starlet. He is completely fit and showed interesting flashes in the friendlies. However, Christian Chivu has constantly preferred more established options at this stage.

Inter decided to buy Stankovic back from Club Brugge, which had paid €9.5M in 2025, after he recorded 9 goals and 5 assists in 55 appearances. He held his own also in last year’s UEFA Champions League.

He’s been tested mostly as Hakan Calhanoglu’s deputy in the pre-season. However, the coach has gone in other directions when the Turk has missed time. Piotr Zielinski has filled in for the most part, with either Jones or Petar Sucic as the box-to-box.

The 21-year-old was targeted especially by Brentford, which offered €40M. His future hung in the balance until late in the window. His exit regained steam after the acquisition of the former Liverpool outcast. However, he was hell-bent on staying and playing his cards. If his minutes don’t increase, he’ll be keener to departing, likely on loan, in January.

Our Take on Inter and Stankovic

He’s facing stiff competition, but they already have had some issues in the role, and Sucic and Jones haven’t been stellar. The situation is a little fishy. It feels like he’s almost being punished, perhaps, for not complying with the team’s request to leave.