Radja Nainggolan takes fall for Inter’s struggles but is not solely responsible | Paolo Bandini

Inter have made a statement with suspending the Belgian but they should have been more diligent before paying €24m plus two quality players for his services

Radja Nainggolan crashed his car on the day he came to Inter. A tyre burst on his Ferrari Lusso as he was making the drive north from Rome to Milan for pre-season training, causing him to veer into a motorway guardrail. The accident was not his fault and yet, looking back now, it does feel like an omen for everything that was to come.

Internazionale had paid a steep price to acquire Nainggolan, coughing up €24m in cash but more significantly sending Davide Santon and Nicolò Zaniolo to Roma in part-exchange. To give up the latter, in particular, felt painful. Zaniolo was the star of Inter’s under-19 team who had just won a national title, scoring 13 goals in 26 games from midfield.

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