Inter Milan Vs Juventus - Disciplined Renaissance Vs Financial Crisis

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In the span of just seven months, Juventus has become Italian football’s most expensive revolving door, while Inter is quietly demonstrating what financial discipline actually looks like. The contrast couldn’t be clearer. It’s a live case study in how football clubs can either evolve or implode. Let’s start with the numbers that would make any Juventus shareholder uneasy. Thiago Motta was sacked in March 2025. Just eight months into his tenure. His replacement, Igor Tudor had no better luck. He lasted just seven months before being sacked in October 2025. Both coaches remain under contract until 2027. This means that Juventus is spending around €25 million gross to pay two coaches who aren’t coaching. Now, the club is courting Luciano Spalletti as its third coach in less than a year, with Roberto Mancini reportedly on standby. That could mean three different coaching staffs on the payroll simultaneously — a costly signal of strategic drift rather than direction. This isn’t ambition gone wrong. It’s governance under strain. Inter Milan Vs Juventus – The Oaktree Revolution Vs The €25 Million Coaching Carousel The carousel is only a symptom of a deeper structural problem. Juventus posted a pre-tax loss of €196 million in the 2023/24 season, extending its run of losses to seven straight years. Over the past five seasons, the club has accumulated nearly €900 million in deficits — repeatedly covered through capital increases from increasingly weary shareholders. Even more concerning, Juventus recorded €322.9 million in losses across just the 2022–23 and 2023–24 seasons, violating the UEFA settlement agreement that capped losses at €60 million. This is not a short-term setback. It’s a strategic failure to adapt to a new football economy that rewards sustainability over spending. Across the Alps of Italian finance, Inter is telling a different story. When Oaktree Capital assumed control in May 2024 after Suning defaulted on a €395 million loan, there were understandable fears. Would another foreign fund prioritize margins over meaning? Instead, Oaktree has brought something that Italian football has long needed: modern financial discipline paired with sporting ambition. Under its stewardship, Inter posted record revenues of €567 million and a net profit of €35.4 million in 2024/25 — a sharp turnaround from a €35.7 million loss the year before. The club also refinanced its bond, cutting the interest rate from 6.75% to 4.5%, saving millions annually. It’s not flashy, but it’s foundational. This is what competent ownership looks like in the 21st century. The Uncomfortable Truth The difference extends to the technical area. While Juventus has cycled through two high-profile coaches in seven months, Inter chose continuity. Simone Inzaghi isn’t a celebrity coach — he’s a builder. His steady leadership has restored Inter to the summit of Italian football without the drama or instability. Juventus often acts out of urgency. Inter acts out of design. One club chases results. The other builds systems that produce them. Here’s the uncomfortable reality for Juventus supporters: Inter is doing what Juventus used to do best — combining structure, stability, and long-term vision. Juventus still operates like a pre-FFP club, where losses could be patched over by ownership and accountability could wait another season. The problem is that football has changed — and Juventus hasn’t changed with it. Meanwhile, Inter’s model under Oaktree shows that sustainability and success are not opposites. They’re intertwined. The Verdict Juventus fans may scoff at Inter’s “corporate” approach or romanticize the free-spending days of old, but modern football doesn’t reward nostalgia. It rewards strategy. Sometimes the boldest move isn’t another managerial reset. But it’s building institutional coherence. Sometimes the smartest investment isn’t in the transfer market — it’s in culture, structure, and stability. Oaktree isn’t flawless, and Inter’s pragmatism can frustrate fans who crave marquee signings. But when one club posts €35 million in profits and another burns through €196 million in losses while paying multiple coaches to stay home, the contrast writes itself. The numbers don’t lie. One club is building for the future. The other is still trying to buy it. By: Andrea Zanon Andrea Zanon is the co-founder of Confidente. He is an international advisor who has worked for financial institutions and entrepreneurs on sustainability, international affairs and development.