Mauro Icardi stripped of Inter Milan captaincy Icardi's future is in doubt at the San Siro Mauro Icardi has been stripped of the captaincy at Inter Milan, the club have announced. Advertisement The striker was made captain at the start of the 2015/16 season by the Serie A giants but Inter released a short statement via a tweet on Wednesday which said that goalkeeper Samir Handonovic would replace him with immediate effect. Icardi's future with the club has been in doubt in recent weeks given uncertainty over whether he'll sign an extension to his current contract, which expires in 2021. Il Club comunica che il nuovo capitano della squadra è Samir #Handanovic#FCIM — Inter 🏆🇮🇹 (@Inter) February 13, 2019 The latest development suggests Inter's hopes of reaching an agreement with the Argentine, who has been linked with Barcelona, Real Madrid and numerous English clubs in recent months, are diminishing. Advertisement Along with this development, reports in Italy claim Icardi will also play no part in Inter's Europa League game with Rapid Vienna on Thursday. Icardi has been with Inter since 2013, when he joined from Sampdoria. The 25-year-old has scored 119 goals for the Nerrazzuri. Having scored three times in his last ten appearances for the club, his manager Luciano Spaletti suggested at the weekend that his contract talks are having an impact on his performances. "Mauro is evidently seeing his performance affected by some situations that have been going on recently," Spaletti said. "He needs to free himself from the talk that is around him. The directors agreed to start talking about the contract, so now they need to go there and conclude it." Advertisement<doc-sep>Mauro Icardi has now scored six goals in last four games for Inter Milan. (Source: Reuters) Mauro Icardi has now scored six goals in last four games for Inter Milan. (Source: Reuters) Inter Milan have stripped leading scorer Mauro Icardi of the team captaincy and handed it to goalkeeper Samir Handanovic, the Serie A club said on Wednesday. Inter did not give an explanation for the change, which it announced on its Twitter feed, and it did not immediately reply to emailed questions about the switch. Argentine forward Icardi and the club have been in protracted negotiations over the extension of his contract. The 25-year-old has been Inter’s leading marksman in Serie A for the last four seasons and is also top scorer this term with nine goals, although he has not hit the target in their last seven league outings. Icardi has had a turbulent relationship with the club and its fans and often provides fodder for the gossip columns, partly thanks to his marriage to Argentine media personality Wanda Nara, who was previously married to Icardi’s former teammate Maxi Lopez. Nara is also Icardi’s agent, and last month the player said she would continue to represent him for the rest of his career following a report in Gazzetta dello Sport that Inter wanted to deal with someone else. In 2016, Icardi was jeered and insulted by Inter’s “ultra” fans during a match against Cagliari after they were angered by a chapter in his autobiography where he described a confrontation with supporters the year before. Last week, coach Luciano Spalletti appeared to criticise the club for not finalising a deal with Icardi to extend his contract, which still has 2-1/2 years to run. “This needs to be resolved because when you do things by half, you leave them open to interpretation,” said Spalletti after the 1-0 win over Parma on Saturday. “Mauro has been affected by certain situations in the last few weeks.”<doc-sep>Wanda Nara: Stripping Inter captaincy was like taking one of Icardi’s legs The Argentine forward's wife explained that both she and her husband were blindsided by the club's decision, but insists they aren't looking to leave Wanda Nara , wife and agent for Mauro Icardi, claims that taking away the captain's armband from her husband was akin to taking away one of his legs. Inter named goalkeeper Samir Handanovic as their new club captain last week, stripping their star striker of the role amid persistent transfer rumours. Icardi was then left out of the squad for the first leg of their Europa League last-32 tie against Rapid Vienna, and was once again not part of the side as the club claimed a win over Sampdoria on Sunday, though he was in the stands for the match. Article continues below Now his wife, who claims Icardi would like to stay with Inter, says she and her husband were blindsided but the decision to strip him of his captaincy. Speaking on Mediaset sports review show Tiki Taka , she said: "Some say the armband is meaningless, but for Mauro it’s like taking away a leg more than an arm. He wears that jersey with such pride and if there were decisions to be made in the past about money or love of the shirt, he always chooses the shirt. “I had no warning at all. I am always in contact with Inter, I have them on speed dial, but I only found out about the decision to revoke his captaincy on Twitter. “I had a three-hour meeting with people very high up in the club and they never told me anything about it. “Mauro scored 120 goals with this jersey and when nobody believed, he was the first to pick up the ball and call everyone forward, because he believes in this team. We are a family of Interisti, whether he is on the field or not." While the relationship seems strained at best, Nara also says the club took care of her when a rock was reportedly thrown at her car, and downplayed tensions between the sides. “[Saturday] morning I woke up as usual and was driving with the kids to their training session and fortunately the incident occurred in an area where there are security cameras," she said. “I was in shock, I called someone at Inter and five minutes later [chief executive Beppe] Marotta called. They were very reassuring and helpful.” Marotta, who has made it clear that naming a new captain was not discipline for Icardi and that negotiations over a new contract would continue, was also the first person from Inter to make contact when the decision was made. “He was very kind and I thank him, because Mauro was so upset," Nara said. "He was in terrible condition. When he’s upset, he clams up and tries to bottle things up, tries to be the strong one. “I asked Moratti if he could please help get Mauro to play again, because it means so much to him. It is not our intention to leave Inter, not at all.”<doc-sep>The first time the big screen cut to Mauro Icardi, it stayed with him for only a few seconds. He had arrived just before kick-off for Inter’s game against Sampdoria, taking a seat beside his wife, and agent, Wanda in the stands at San Siro. Neither seemed to notice when the cameras picked them out, provoking brief jeers from the home crowd. But the camera lingered a little longer the second time around. Play had stopped, and the mood inside the stadium was restless, with the score still goalless after the interval. This time the whistles were ear-splitting. Wanda glanced up at the screen, and quickly cast her eyes back down. Four days had passed since Icardi was stripped of the captaincy: a decision which the manager, Luciano Spalletti, explained thus: “There are certain things surrounding the lad which need to be fixed. These things have caused, and continue to cause, embarrassment to the team and the club of which he was captain.” Chief among those ‘things’ was presumed to be Wanda, and her habit for creating unwelcome headlines. A regular on Mediaset’s football talk show Tiki Taka, she had criticised her husband’s team-mates for not passing him the ball enough. “More than giving Mauro a new contract,” she observed, “I’d prefer Inter to sign someone capable of giving him five good balls in every game.” There was more to Inter’s decision than a single remark. It had been precipitated by a meeting of the club’s directors, led by Beppe Marotta. Appointed as CEO for sporting activity in December, this felt like an instance of the former Juventus man seeking to establish his leadership on a key issue. He had the backing of many Inter supporters. Icardi finished as Serie A’s joint-top scorer last season, but goals alone do not make a captain. Ultras have not forgotten the incendiary autobiography the player released in 2016, in which he threatened to “bring 100 criminals from Argentina” to kill those who had menaced him as the team struggled. More recently, there had been reports of a squad divided: with cliques said to have formed inside the Inter changing room. Fresh fuel was thrown on that fire when Marcelo Brozovic hit ‘like’ on Inter’s tweet announcing that Samir Handanovic had replaced Icardi as captain. The Fiver: sign up and get our daily football email The Argentinian opted out of Thursday’s Europa League trip to Rapid Vienna, having initially been named in the squad. He was subsequently omitted from the team to face Sampdoria. Spalletti said he was pleased Icardi chose to come and watch anyway, though he would have preferred it if his striker had come down to celebrate with team-mates at the end of an eventual 2-1 win. It was certainly an encouraging victory. Lautaro Martínez, starting up front in Icardi’s absence, delivered another strong performance after scoring the only goal against Rapid. He interprets the role very differently to his compatriot, offering greater movement and contribution to build-up play if also a less consistent presence inside the box. It was tempting to wonder whether Icardi might have done better with a majestic early ball from from Roberto Gagliardini. Martínez had the goal at his mercy, but shot too close to keeper Emil Audero. Yet he created opportunities for those around him. It was Martínez who volleyed first-time into the path of Radja Nainggolan, before the Belgian fired just wide. It was he again whocreated space for Ivan Perisic to race clear before being thwarted by an excellent save from Audero. Perisic made amends by setting up Inter’s first goal, dribbling in from the left and crossing for Danilo D’Ambrosio to score. Samp equalised moments later, Manolo Gabbiadini finishing coolly after a scramble, but the Nerazzurri delivered an immediate response, Nainggolan waiting on the edge of the box to convert a half-cleared corner. As Inter’s former captain watched from the stand, team-mates who had likewise failed to show leadership were finally standing up to be counted. This was supposed to be a big year for Perisic, coming off a starring role for Croatia at the World Cup, yet he has only scored as many league goals in six months for his club as he did in seven games for his country last summer. Nainggolan, likewise, has underperformed – as well as being beset by injuries. Radja Nainggolan celebrates after making it 2-1. Photograph: Matteo Bazzi/EPA The latter player already appeared to have turned over a new leaf, shedding four kilos since the start of the year thanks to a new diet and training regime. He had spoken about taking responsibility and growing up in the wake of Inter’s previous league win, away to Parma. Inter’s hope now is that Icardi may follow such examples. Wanda was back on Tiki Taka on Sunday night when Marotta phoned in with a conciliatory message. “The decision [to strip Icardi of the captaincy] was not a disciplinary measure,” he said. “Heads of families need to take difficult decisions sometimes when it comes to their children, to help them grow. Icardi is only 25 years old.” Hostility toward the player has reached unacceptable levels in some quarters, and Wanda said that they missed Sunday’s celebrations only after being advised to leave early for security reasons. A rock had been thrown at her car the day before, striking the windscreen as she was driving her three sons to a football game. Marotta was among the first to call offering support: a reminder that it is possible to hold professional disagreements without abandoning human decency. Icardi’s future remains cloudy, but the director insists a fresh contract offer is on the way. This latest win can only strengthen his negotiating position. Talking points Six goals in five games now for Krzysztof Piątek since joining Milan, and a big win for the Rossoneri over Atalanta in the fight for the top four. A very different story for Napoli, who despite restoring Arkadiusz Milik to the starting XI, failed to score for the third time in four games. Piatek does it again, scoring in the win at Atalanta. Photograph: Paolo Magni/AP<doc-sep>
Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images Mauro Icardi was at the San Siro to watch Inter Milan's Serie A clash with Sampdoria on Sunday, with CEO Beppe Marotta confirming the club will offer him a renewal: Icardi has been replaced as club captain by Samir Handanovic by manager Luciano Spalletti, which has fuelled speculation over his future. Spalletti confirmed that Icardi was unavailable this weekend because of injury and was undergoing treatment, per Football Italia. However, the striker was at the San Siro to watch his team in action: Spalletti has said that removing the captain's armband from Icardi was a "very painful and difficult" decision, per Football Italia. He also said the decision was "not against Icardi, but in favour of Inter." Icardi was not part of Inter's squad for their UEFA Europa League clash against Rapid Vienna on Thursday. Spalletti told Sky Sport Italia (h/t Goal) that "Icardi was called up and has decided not to travel to Vienna." Icardi responded to the events with a cryptic post on social media: Video Play Button Videos you might like The 25-year-old is an integral player for the Serie A side, but his contract expires in 2021 and he is yet to agree a renewal: The Argentinian has been linked with a shock move to rivals Juventus after losing the Inter captaincy, per Goal. Manager Massimiliano Allegri offered his response to speculation his club could move for the striker. "I don't know anything about the market. I prefer to go to the beach in the summer! The club takes care of the players and makes them available. Icardi is a forward who can score goals, but I leave the assessments to [Inter boss Luciano] Spalletti, who coaches him and knows him better." Premier League side Chelsea are also reportedly interested in Icardi, according to The Sun's John Hutchinson. However, Real Madrid have dropped their interest as they do not want to deal with Wanda Nara, Icardi's wife and agent, according to Jose Felix Diaz at Marca. Meanwhile, Nara, has attempted to "smooth things over" with a "series of conciliatory messages on Twitter," per Football Italia. Icardi's presence at the San Siro on Sunday is likely to be viewed as a positive sign in the current seemingly volatile saga between player and club. Yet speculation over his future at the club can be expected to continue until his contract situation is resolved.