Danilo D'Ambrosio signs Inter contract extension

It's a pretty good time to be Danilo D'Ambrosio. First, he and his wife Enza became parents when their son Leonardo was born at the end of February. Then, he received an Italy call-up for the first time in his career, and made his international debut in the Azzurri's friendly win over the Netherlands at the end of March. And now he has officially extended his contract with Inter, confirming a piece of news that had been in the air for a few weeks already, after a surprisingly positive season in which he has won over a lot of his critics (although not all of them, of course).

In a statement released via the official club website on Friday afternoon, Inter announced that the 28 year-old has signed a new four-year deal which will keep him tied to the Nerazzurri until 2021. "Danilo joined the club in January 2014 and has gone on to make 97 appearances, scoring seven goals and notching five assists," it reads. "D'Ambrosio has made more appearances than any other Nerazzurri defender this term and is second only to Miranda in terms of the outfield players with the most balls won. His performances also earned him international recognition recently." D'Ambrosio joined from Torino for a fee of €1.75m, in a deal that also saw Torino acquire full ownership of youngsters Marco Benassi and Matteo Colombi, and had signed a contract that was due to expire at the end of next season (June 2018).

Speaking to Inter Channel after the announcement, D'Ambrosio said: "For me it's a source of pride that I'll be part of this family for another few years, as well as an honour. I have to thank the club, Ausilio, mister Pioli and my teammates because it's thanks to them that I've managed to obtain this contract renewal. I'm someone who takes things one day at a time and always aims to improve himself every day in training, and this has been recognised both in words and in facts by President Zhang, Ausilio and the other members of the club. If I think forward to 2021 there will be a lot of matches between now and then, and I hope to have another two children in that time as well, but leaving D'Ambrosio aside I hope Inter soon return to lifting some silverware. We're obliged to get going again immediately now, we can't hide the fact that Monday's defeat was very damaging for us. After Crotone [on Sunday] there will be another important match with the derby so we need to get going again. The goal against Sampdoria? It left a sour taste in the mouth because I'd prefer the team to win."

After that, Danilo's agent Vincenzo Pisacane spoke to Gianlucadimarzio.com about his client's joy at extending his stay at Inter: "It's what he's always wanted, Inter and sporting director Piero Ausilio in particular have always made it clear that they believe in him. We started talking a few months ago, and in fact everything was resolved very quickly before being delayed by a some things, like his call-up to the national team. Danilo really is very happy, he's one of those guys who always achieves something when he puts his mind to it; he never gives up, not even in the most difficult moments. He's been maltreated too often by those on the outside, but with his tenacity he's always overcome any obstacles."

Are you pleased to hear that D'Ambrosio has renewed his contract, or do you think this was a mistake on Inter's part? What kind of future does he have with us at Inter? Let us know in the comments below.