Davide Frattesi "deserves trust" from Inter following his impressive form with Italy, according to former Azzurri midfielder Marco Tardelli.

Frattesi was on target in Italy's victories over France and Israel during the international break, as Luciano Spalletti's side made a perfect start to Group A2 in the Nations League.

The 25-year-old has now scored an impressive seven goals - the most of any player during the Spalletti era - in just 21 appearances since making his senior international debut two years ago.

However, he has not featured as frequently this season for Inter, who he joined from Sassuolo on a permanent basis after his initial loan spell last term, with all three of his appearances coming from the bench.

Frattesi faces competition from the established central midfield trio of Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

But 1982 World Cup winner Tardelli, who expects him to be "a starter" alongside Barella for Italy in the coming years, believes he deserves more opportunities with the Nerazzurri.

"Frattesi needs trust from Inter. There aren't many players like him," the former Inter boss told Gazzetta.

"Inzaghi has many strong players. The trio in midfield - Barella, Calhanoglu, and Mkhitaryan - is a certainty. I can't tell Simone who to play, but everyone's seeing what Frattesi is doing. He makes a difference, and he deserves trust.

"He's one of the new midfielders who knows how to be in the right place at the right time. The goal he scored with his chest against Israel proves it. He's always there. He knows how to make late runs and play vertically.

"He attacks, defends and scores crucial goals. He was decisive last season, despite not being a starter. He has great courage. A player like him gives any coach multiple options, and Inzaghi knows this well."

Lautaro Martinez believes he is worthy of being in consideration for the Ballon d'Or after leading Inter and Argentina to silverware in recent months.

Martinez was, unlike his compatriot Lionel Messi, one of 30 players nominated for world football's most prestigious individual prize earlier this week.

He fired Inter to their 20th Scudetto last season, topping Serie A's scoring charts with 24 goals in 33 matches, eight more than his closest rival, Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic. 

He then carried that form into the Copa America as Argentina won a record-breaking 16th continental crown, winning the Golden Boot with five goals – including the winner in the final versus Colombia – in just 221 minutes on the field.

Martinez finished 20th in the voting for the 2023 award but expects to be higher up the rankings this time around.

"Considering the season I had, I deserve to be where I am," Martinez said. "I worked hard and suffered so much in the previous years. 

"This is the second year in a row that I will participate in this ceremony. I think that I am ready to compete for this recognition."

 

With Messi out injured, Martinez partnered Julian Alvarez in attack as Argentina thrashed Chile 3-0 in a World Cup qualifier on Thursday, the Atletico Madrid man scoring with a stunning long-range strike.

Albiceleste boss Lionel Scaloni was impressed with how the forwards dovetailed in that match, saying: "The duo of Julian and Lautaro performed well. They complement each other well, they don't give up a single ball.

"Lautaro assisted, Julian also went very well, he scored. They worked for us and they are two strikers who can continue to play together, we will see.

"I don't think there is so much superiority to the rest. They leave everything out there, the key is not to give anything up in advance. 

"They are always hungry. Football is very strange, at any moment it can put you in your place."

Former Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels has joined Roma on a free transfer, the Serie A giants have confirmed.

Hummels has been without a club since he was surprisingly released by Dortmund in June, having helped them reach the Champions League final last season.

He led all centre-backs in the competition for line-breaking passes, with 133, but was unable to lead them to victory against Real Madrid at Wembley Stadium, where they were beaten 2-0.

Hummels made a total of 508 appearances across two spells with Dortmund, winning two Bundesliga titles and finishing as a Champions League runner-up on two occasions.

The 2014 World Cup winner was linked with a move to Bologna last month after they sold Riccardo Calafiori to Arsenal, only to fail to agree terms with the Rossoblu.

He has instead joined Danielle De Rossi's Roma, who were in need of defensive reinforcements after allowing Chris Smalling to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Fayha.

Reports suggest he has penned a one-year deal with an option to extend his stay in the Italian capital by a further 12 months, with Roma announcing he will wear the number 15 shirt.

Hummels' debut could come at Genoa on September 15, with his first home outing potentially coming against Udinese one week later.

The Giallorossi failed to secure Champions League qualification last season and will play in the Europa League, with Athletic Bilbao their first opponents on September 26.

Victor Osimhen has sealed a one-season loan move to Galatasaray after being exiled from Napoli's Serie A squad.

Last month, Napoli director Giovanni Manna confirmed Osimhen had requested a move away from the club, who he helped win the Scudetto in 2022-23.

Osimhen was linked with Chelsea and Al-Ahli, yet the Blues were reportedly unwilling to meet his wage demands and the striker was reluctant to move to Saudi Arabia.

It appeared as though Osimhen may have to sit out four months before seeking a move, but Galatasaray have moved to bring him in ahead of the Turkish Super Lig transfer window closing on September 13.

The Istanbul giants will cover the entirety of Osimhen's wages, and there will be a break clause for January present in the deal.

In a statement announcing the move, Galatasaray confirmed they will pay no loan fee for Osimhen, who they said will earn a salary of €6million.

Napoli, meanwhile, have reportedly reached an agreement with Osimhen to lower his release clause from €130million to €80m as they prepare for a future sale.

The Partenopei have also confirmed they now hold an option to extend Osimhen's contract, which runs until 2026, by 12 months to protect his value if they are unable to sell him next year.

Osimhen has scored 65 league goals for Napoli since joining from Lille in 2020, ranking 12th in their all-time Serie A scoring charts. 

He netted 15 times during an injury-affected 2023-24 campaign, having scored 26 times as they were crowned champions of Italy for the first time in the post-Diego Maradona era the previous season.

Juventus head coach Thiago Motta has called for more precision from his forward players after a drab goalless draw against Roma at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday.

Motta, who had won his first two league games in charge, had to settle for a share of the spoils after seeing just one of his sides' eight shots on target. 

The hosts managed just 18 touches in the opposition's box, with striker Dusan Vlahovic presented with the only notable chance of the contest. 

And while Juventus remained unbeaten in their first three Serie A games of the season for the third year in a row, Motta was left wanting more from his forward line. 

"Today we were too frenetic. At times we did well, at times they did well, it was a really difficult and balanced game," Motta said.

"We failed to understand the right moment to hit Roma, which must be underlined, they are a great team. Offensively we can do better."

The result marked the first time since the 2014-15 campaign that Juventus have kept a clean sheet in each of their first three Serie A fixtures of the season.

But at the opposite end of the pitch, the hosts produced an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.47 compared to Roma's 0.37, further highlighting the struggles of both sides in the contest. 

Juventus head into the international break level on points with leaders Inter, with Motta praising his players' commitment to the cause during the early stages of his tenure. 

"I think it's a fair result, in a balanced match. We didn't concede and we have one more point in the standings," Motta told a press conference.

"I'm very satisfied with the group and their commitment.

"We could have done much better today in precision in the offensive phase, but the opposing team knew how to defend and not give spaces."

Juventus dropped their first points of the season under new head coach Thiago Motta as they were held to a 0-0 draw against Roma at the Allianz Stadium. 

In an encounter devoid of clear-cut chances, Daniele De Rossi's side defended astutely to claim their second point of the campaign after their defeat to Empoli last week.

Dusan Vlahovic was presented with the clearest sight of goal, but the Serbian striker saw his effort thwarted by the palms of Mile Svilar. 

The fixture in Turin saw just one shot from either side on target, with Juventus' expected goals (xG) total of 0.47 only slightly bettering their opponents' 0.37. 

Heading into the international break, Juventus sit second in the early-season standings behind Inter, meanwhile Roma move out of the bottom three and into 17th.

Data Debrief: Serie A giants fail to excite

Juventus' Vlahovic and Roma's Alexis Saelemaekers were the two credited with the encounters only efforts on target in a game that failed to live up to the billing. 

But there were positives for Motta to take, with Juventus remaining unbeaten in their first three Serie A games of the season for the third year in a row, while also registering a fourth consecutive league clean sheet, as many as they had managed in their previous 16.

Roma have failed to win any of their first three Serie A games of the season for the second season in a row. Only once have the Giallorossi failed to win their first three games in two consecutive years (2010-11 and 2011-12).

They have also scored just one goal in their first three games of the season, their worst result since 1986-87.

Napoli director Giovanni Manna insists there are "many options" still open for Victor Osimhen, who has been exiled from their squad for the Serie A season after failing to clinch a transfer.

Osimhen was linked with a move to Premier League giants Chelsea or Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli in the recent transfer window, yet a switch failed to materialise.

Chelsea were reportedly unwilling to meet his wage demands, while Al-Ahli signed Brentford's Ivan Toney after Osimhen refused to move to Saudi Arabia.

Osimhen, who scored 26 goals in Napoli's Scudetto-winning campaign of 2022-23, has now been left out of Antonio Conte's Serie A squad, with Romelu Lukaku brought in as his replacement and taking the Nigerian's number nine shirt.

The striker now faces the prospect of sitting out four months until the January transfer window opens, unless Napoli can find a way to move him on.

"The situation is very clear. Victor expressed his absolute desire to not stay at, or play for, Napoli," Manna told DAZN on Saturday.

"We tried to make him happy. Then there was a demand and an offer, and we thought we had concluded negotiations, but then it didn't go through. 

"He expressed his desire to no longer play for Napoli and so we made other choices.

"The transfer market is still open in some countries, so there are many options, but I don't think Victor will go to Saudi Arabia."

Napoli picked up their second win of the Serie A season on Saturday, with stoppage-time goals from Lukaku and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa firing them to a 2-1 comeback victory over Parma.

After that game, Conte confirmed Osimhen was not part of his plans, saying: "No player will be reintegrated. 

"Those who are out of the project will remain out of the project. We made our choices and work in one direction all together."

Antonio Conte was displeased with the transfer market deadline due to potential injury risks after their 2-1 win over Parma.

Debutant Romelu Lukaku and midfielder Andre Zambo Anguissa scored stoppage-time goals to earn the Italian his second victory as Napoli head coach, and provisionally move fourth in the standings.

However, he was concerned about not having squad depth while dealing with last-minute changes made to his team due to the transfer window closing on Friday, leaving him hoping his players can remain fit.

"We take these three points knowing full well that we have to work after this absurdity of the transfer market," Conte told reporters.

"Coaches have to train players who are going to leave and wait for players we've never worked with and don't know in what condition they'll be when they arrive.

"We had zero midfielders on the bench today, as yesterday [Gennaro] Iaccarino and [Coli] Saco went on loan. We had to pray that nothing happened to [Stanislav] Lobotka and Anguissa.

"I hope that things can change in the future, seeing as everyone is ready to change formats and rules."

Conte added he was pleased with Napoli's transfer window, as they added Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour to their ranks on Friday, despite the failure of Victor Osimhen's move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli.

"We did not just bring in players to build on an existing team but to fill certain empty slots, and I am happy with the work done by the club," he said.

"If we had been able to sell Osimhen, it would've been an even better situation, but what happened cannot be changed, and we move on."

Paulo Fonseca was quick to dismiss talk of any tension with Rafael Leao and Theo Hernandez, who both appeared to snub him shortly after coming off the bench.

The pair came off the bench to help earn a 2-2 draw with Lazio on Saturday, being brought on in a quadruple change by Fonseca after being left out of the starting line-up. 

Milan were losing 2-1 at the time of their introduction, and they immediately turned things around, with Hernandez and debutant Tammy Abraham, another substitute, involved in Leao's equaliser.

Minutes later, the game stopped for a cooling break, with both managers using the opportunity to instruct their players, but both Leao and Hernandez remained on the far side of the pitch, taking no part in the team talk.

"The situation with Theo and Leao, there is no problem and I think Theo has already explained," Fonseca told DAZN.

"We don't need to create any problems. This week I spoke with the players and they accepted my decision. There is no problem, I was concentrated, and I didn't see that they weren't there."

Hernandez had already given his reasons immediately after the game.

"We had been on for two minutes, we didn't need the cooling break," Hernandez said.

"It was nothing against the team and the coach. Then people talk, say things that aren't true. Rafa and I are always with the team to help, and that is the important thing."

Milan are still without a league win this season after three games, but Fonseca says he saw a decent performance in the opening half, giving him something to work on.

"We had a good first half. We always managed the game well with the ball. When you control the game like this, we have to have more moments to become dangerous, but it's something we have to work on," Fonseca told Milan TV.

"We must always have the courage we had in the first half because we did good things. If we had won the other two games, this could have been a good result, but it is not so. But we have to start from today's first half."

Rafael Leao came off the bench to earn Milan a 2-2 draw with Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday, but Paulo Fonseca's side are still without a Serie A win this season.

Milan were in front at the break through Strahinja Pavlovic's eighth-minute goal, the Serbian rising highest to power home a header from Christian Pulisic's corner.

However, Lazio hit back in the second half with Valentin Castellanos and Boulaye Dia scoring in quick succession.

Nuno Tavares' first-time ball into the centre was met by the unmarked Castellanos to level in the 62nd minute, then Dia tapped another Tavares cutback home to put the Biancocelesti ahead four minutes later.

Fonseca reacted by sending on four substitutes, and those changes had a swift impact as three of them combined for the leveller. 

Theo Hernandez – who joined Leao in being dropped from the start – picked out Tammy Abraham, and his lay-off allowed Leao to escape Tavares to fire past Ivan Provedel.

The game was preceded by an emotional tribute to the man who led Lazio to their last league title, Sven-Goran Eriksson, who died at the age of 76 on Monday.

A Lazio shirt bearing the Swede's name was displayed on the home bench, while a banner held up by the home fans read: "You brought us to the top of the world... Have a good trip Mr. Sven."

Data Debrief: Milan's slow start continues

New Milan boss Fonseca is already under pressure after overseeing a return of two points from his first three league games at the helm.

It is the first time the Rossoneri have drawn two of their opening three matches in a Serie A season since 2011-12, when they also drew two and lost one, 

They went on to finish second that season, just four points adrift of champions Juventus. If a title challenge is to take place this term, rapid improvements are needed. 

Romelu Lukaku and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa scored in second-half stoppage time as Napoli fought back for a thrilling 2-1 victory over Parma in Serie A.

Newly promoted Parma, who stunned Milan last week, looked set to claim a second surprise win in as many games when Ange-Yoan Bonny won and converted a 19th-minute penalty.

The momentum of the game changed, however, when Parma goalkeeper Zion Suzuki was shown his second yellow card for a foul on David Neres with 15 minutes of the 90 remaining.

With no further substitutions available to the visitors, defender Enrico Del Prato took over in goal and went close to getting his team over the line with a clean sheet intact.

However, new signing Lukaku came off the bench to equalise for Napoli in the second minute of stoppage time, shortly after the Partenopei had seen a penalty overturned following a VAR review.

There was more drama to come at the death as Anguissa headed home in the sixth minute of stoppage time, though Napoli also had to survive one last scare as  Pontus Almqvist was denied by Alex Meret at the other end.

Data Debrief: Flying start for Lukaku

Just as Napoli's hopes seemed to be slipping away, up stepped debutant Lukaku to level with a low strike, setting the stage for the most remarkable of comeback victories.

Across the last five Serie A campaigns, Lukaku has 29 goals in 48 home games for Inter, Roma and Napoli. That is the fewest home games required by any player to net over 25 goals in the competition during that span.

Parma, meanwhile, were left to rue the sending-off of Suzuki, who became their first goalkeeper to see red in Serie A since Antonio Mirante against Sassuolo, back in March 2015.

Tammy Abraham has secured a move to Milan, signing a season-long loan deal from Roma for the Serie A season. 

Abraham suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear at the end of the 2022-23 campaign that restricted him to just 12 appearances in all competitions last year.

The 26-year-old netted 27 times in 53 outings in his debut season with Roma, helping the side led by Jose Mourinho to Europa Conference League glory. 

But the injury has seen him fail to regain his starting spot under Daniele de Rossi, with Roma signing LaLiga's leading marksman from last season, Artem Dovbyk. 

Abraham's arrival at the San Siro marks another attacking option, having already welcomed Alvaro Morata from Atletico Madrid earlier in the window. 

Manchester United have signed Manuel Ugarte on a five-year contract, while Scott McTominay has left the club after a 22-year stay.

Ugarte joined the Red Devils in a deal worth up to £50.5million from Paris Saint-Germain, with the option to extend his contract for a further year.

The Uruguayan has been linked to United throughout the transfer window, with the club getting the deal through on transfer deadline day, though not in time for him to play Liverpool on Sunday.

Ugarte had the most interceptions among PSG players in Ligue 1 last season (40), while he also contested the most duels (302, 160 successful).

"It is an incredible feeling to join a club of this magnitude; one that is admired all around the world," Ugarte said. "The project that the football leadership discussed with me is extremely exciting; Manchester United is an ambitious club, and I am an ambitious player.

"I'm someone who is so determined to succeed; I will sacrifice and give everything for my team-mates. Together we will fight to win trophies and reach the level where this club needs to be."

Earlier on Friday, McTominay completed his anticipated move to Napoli in a transfer worth €30.5m on a four-year deal.

McTominay joined the club's academy as a five-year-old and made his first-team debut in May 2017.

He went on to make 255 for the senior team, scoring 29 goals, including 10 last term in his most prolific season, and providing eight assists.

In a farewell message to the fans, McTominay said: "I've absolutely loved it, and I'm very, very grateful for the football club. I'm ready for a new challenge, and I'm ready to go and embrace it and take it by storm.

"I want to see Manchester United win, I want to see us do really, really well, and I'll be watching as well. Thank you for having me and I have enjoyed every minute."

Napoli have also announced the signing of McTominay's Scotland team-mate Billy Gilmour from Brighton.

Antonio Conte, who managed at Chelsea before Gilmour made his debut, pushed for the move, with the midfielder signing a five-year contract in a deal worth an initial £12m. 

A Marcus Thuram double helped Inter to an emphatic 4-0 win over Atalanta on Friday, winning a second-straight home game.

The defending champions, coming off a draw at Genoa and a 2-0 win over Lecce, scored twice in the opening stages of each half to prevail and, provisionally, move top of the standings with seven points.

The hosts opened the scoring just three minutes in when Thuram's low cross deflected off Berat Djimsiti into his own net before Nicolo Barella doubled the lead with a stunning volley from the edge of the box seven minutes later.

They could have had a third just before the half-hour mark too, with Thuram ghosting past Atalanta's defence again, only to see this effort deflected off the woodwork.

Thuram scored twice in similar fashion after the break, taking advantage of loose balls from the visitors' poor defence to fire home from close range in the 47th and 56th minutes.

Atalanta posed little threat and can count themselves lucky not to be on the end of a heavier scoreline as Federico Dimarco's sweeping finish was disallowed for offside late on. 

Data Debrief: Thuram steals spotlight

While Barella arguably scored the pick of the goals with his long-range stunner, Thuram was at the heart and centre of everything Inter did on Friday.

He had the most shots (four) and netted with both of his efforts on targeting, outperforming his 0.49 expected goals.

Thuram is now the fourth Inter player to score at least four goals in his first three appearances in a Serie A season in the three-points-for-a-win era, after Lautaro Martínez (five in 2023-24), Mauro Icardi (five in 2017-18) and Christian Vieri (four in 1999-00 and 2002-03).

Paulo Fonseca says Milan have been working hard in training after a poor start to the Serie A season and will be prepared to bounce back when they face Lazio.

The newly appointed head coach is already under pressure after a lacklustre start to the campaign, with a 2-2 draw against Torino on matchday one being followed by a disappointing 2-1 defeat to newly promoted Parma.

"We are aware that we haven’t started well. But we are all united and we want to find solutions. That’s what we’ve been doing this week," Fonseca told reporters.

"We are united so it’s easier to work. It was a good week and I think we understood where we really need to improve. I expect a different Milan tomorrow."

The Portuguese coach denied that some players were having trouble adapting to his tactical vision, with the Rossoneri's defensive efforts attracting particular criticism so far this season.

"I am as confident as I was during my unveiling press conference," he added.

"I am convinced these two games won’t diminish our ambition to become the team we aim to be."

Milan also discovered their opponents for the Champions League's new league phase this week and are set to face Bayer Leverkusen, Real Madrid and Liverpool after a daunting draw.

Fonseca, though, is pleased to have the chance to face top opponents, saying: "It was a balanced draw. All games will be competitive.

"It’s true we have Madrid, Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen, who are top sides, but there are other strong teams as well. It seems like a balanced draw and format.

"I really like the format because there are more games among top sides but it’s also an opportunity to bring these top sides to countries that are not traditionally strong in football." 

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