Former Italy international Fulvio Collovati offered his perspective on the lack of youth development in Italian football during the Rai 2 program `Non Solo Mercato`. He specifically praised young striker Francesco Pio Esposito: “In Italy, young players are not being sufficiently developed. Francesco Pio Esposito is valuable and needs to be nurtured. It`s right that Inter, instead of retaining Arnautovic and Correa, keeps Pio as an alternative because he is destined to become Inter`s starting striker.”
A key discussion point surrounding the 19-year-old forward (Esposito) is whether he should remain within Cristian Chivu`s setup at Inter or gain experience elsewhere on loan. Collovati brought up another young prospect being linked with the club: “I`ll add something else: Inter is also looking to sign Leoni from Parma, another young option. Inter`s defense currently includes Acerbi at 37 and De Vrij a bit younger. Leoni is a very valid prospect for the future. But the main issue isn`t necessarily about young players,” Collovati clarified.
He concluded by emphasizing the real, underlying concern: “The emblematic question is something else: it`s about results. How long will [coach] Chivu last if you start tonight`s match poorly and face negative outcomes? The problem isn`t the young players themselves.”
