His client was “super happy,” Gianluca Mancini explained to the medium FC Inter 1908, which, as the name suggests, specializes in reports from the world of Inter Milan. So it may well be that the broker Mancini exaggerated a bit to flatter the audience of this news service. But it may also be that he was telling the truth and nothing but the truth when he gave information about the feelings of the person concerned about the move to the traditional Milan club. As is well known, Robin Gosens, 27, is a man who is very enthusiastic and capable of great emotions.
The move of the German national player from his home club Atalanta Bergamo to Inter, the leaders in Serie A, was by no means certain on Wednesday evening when the agent Mancini had his customers raving. But that the trade was on the right track was documented the next day by the scouts of the Gazzetta dello Sportwho found the Gosens on their way to the medical check-up in a clinic in the Rozzano district of Milan.
He was driven up in a black SUV-Volvo, and in the same Volvo he was driven away again into the dense Lombard winter fog when the crime was done. The change became official late Thursday evening, and the contract runs until 2026. Gosens has not played for Atalanta since the end of September after tearing a tendon in his thigh.
Even before the official announcements by the clubs, a leading representative of the Bergamasques referred to the merits of the German left winger that the club would not resist a sale out of gratitude. However, one can assume that the proceeds from the sale of Gosens – which was also of interest to other clubs – had already been included in the calculations of the small town club in northern Italy: only three days ago Atalanta had confirmed the takeover of the Ivorian national player Jérémie Boga, who has previously played for league competitor US Sassuolo, more as a classic left winger but also in the field that Gosens tends to work on a large scale.
27 million euros – this amount has significance for Gosens
The payment model for Boga’s transit is very similar to that of the transfer from Gosens to Milan: the player is first loaned out until the end of the season, after which the rental agreement becomes a mandatory purchase contract, which is said to be due for 22 million euros. The amount that Inter will transfer to the neighboring city should be even higher: There is talk of 27 million euros.
The sum represents a record for German players on the Italian transfer market, even world stars like Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Rudi Völler or Lothar Matthäus cost less than they once moved to Milan or Rome. However, a comparison of the price tags does not do justice to the circumstances: when the top German players swarmed out to the promised football land in the 1980s and 1990s, the dimensions on the international exchanges were different. Nevertheless, the considerable amount that Inter is now investing in Gosens is meaningful: it assesses his sporting recognition at a high level – unlike in Germany, where Gosens, who comes from the Lower Rhine, was and is always a bit underestimated.
Spectacular start: Robin Gosens attracted attention at the beginning of the European Championship.
(Photo: Ulmer/imago)
At least until last summer, Bundesliga clubs could have brought the dynamic line player back home at significantly lower rates. While his exciting performances at the European Championship increased his market value and there were rumors of interest from big clubs like FC Barcelona, the rumors stayed the same. The better-off German clubs also held back – despite a regular place for Gosens in Joachim Löw’s EM team – which may also have something to do with the fact that the sensational start to the tournament was followed by a rather pale continuation in the games against Hungary and England let.
Gosens had already been about to return to the Bundesliga
As a result, curiosity about the new star and darling of the public subsided surprisingly quickly. It was only in the summer of 2019 that Gosens, who had previously emigrated to the Netherlands due to a lack of prospects, was about to return: Schalke 04 had already made all the necessary arrangements with him and Atalanta, the exchange fee of eight million euros had been largely negotiated, but then he decided Club board to put the focus of investments elsewhere and to release the young defender Ozan Kabak completely from VfB Stuttgart.
Gosen’s often invoked preference for Schalke 04 is now part of the profile that the Journal put together for his forthcoming move. It also contains information about the family and the dogs Chucky and Laika, the private is always public with the open-hearted Gosens. By nature, he is more of a go-getter than reserved.
He has been playing in Italy since 2017, scoring 29 goals in 157 games. His attacking style makes him appealing to Inter coach Simone Inzaghi, who prefers to let his side attack. That suits a league that has long since sworn off catenaccio, the sporting standard of Serie A has risen constantly in recent years. With AC Naples and local rivals AC Milan, defending champions Inter are staging an exciting competition for the championship that is sorely missed in Germany. At the end of February, Robin Gosens is said to have recovered sufficiently from the injury that he can play his part in the next triumph.
