Radja Nainggolan is hardly endearing himself to the Nerazzurri support after a slow start in Milan
Inter Milan midfielder’s all-action midfielder Radja Nainggolan has found himself in hot water again with the club’s supporters only two days on from being suspended by the Italian club for “disciplinary reasons”.
Reportedly, this was due to the Belgian arriving late for training, which was not for the first time since joining from Roma for in a £33 million deal that also included Davide Santo and Nicolò Zaniolo moving in the opposite direction. He has been fined a substantial amount for the repeat offence.
He has now grown increasingly frustrated with the attention he is receiving from sections of the Inter support, and according to Italian website Calcio Mercato, has sent WhatsApp audio messages to friends both detailing his desire to return to Roma and assuring the Inter fans will “kiss his ass” when he responds on the pitch:
“I’ll answer on the pitch, then we’ll see when they start kissing my ass.”
According to the messages, he is relying on former teammate and close friend Francesco Totti, who now operates as a director for the club, stating that:
“Since I’m his friend, he can put in a good word.”
Perhaps acknowledging the unlikelihood of this scenario, the central midfielder does admit it would cause a “mess” if he were to leave Milan in January.
Nainggolan has failed to find any sort of form since the transfer and his on-field struggles can almost be traced back to this time last year, when he uploaded a video of himself drinking, smoking and swearing whilst celebrating New Year in the capital.
Following that, he was then left out of Belgium’s squad for the World Cup, with Roberto Martinez reportedly taking issue with the player’s smoking habits and perceived lack of professionalism alongside simply favouring Axel Witsel in his starting XI.
Still, despite the massive fine and the Inter fans wanting his head on a pike, I bet he’s got a hell of a New Year party to look forward to.