In his regular weekly column Inter fanatic Sam Olsen dives deep into the stories that matter to Inter’s fans looking to keep the spirit of discussion and dispute alive and well on the pages of Sempreinter.com. New Zealander Sam has published several books on military history as well as contributing to a number of sport and news related websites. His love for Inter began in 1997 watching Ronaldo waltz through confused defences in the famous blue and black, and he has enjoyed the roller coaster ride ever since.
Sevilla and Hamburg. From the far south of the European continent to the far north it seems clubs are on the hunt for their very own piece of Fredy Guarin. This enigmatic beast, a rare and rather special species, has been glimpsed repeatedly across the continent over the last few months. Whether it be sucking back the lobster whilst discussing tactics with Dutch masters in Manchester; test driving the new Fiat in Turin; trying out for a roll in the next de Laurentiis masterpiece in Naples, visiting museums with fallen Portuguese managers in St. Petersburg or living the high life in London whilst taking a stroll down to White Heart Lane, it seems that wherever there is a football club nowadays there is a wish for a little piece of Fredy Guarin. It is quite possible that there has never been a footballer who has held so many tenuous links with so many clubs in such a short period of time as the Columbian, who apparently was also having informal talks with the Italian air force about possibly utilising his ability to send footballs into orbit as a means of protecting the peninsula’s airspace.
Inter want to be rid of their unpredictable defensive midfielder-cum- central midfielder-cum attacking midfielder-cum-who knows what. That much is certain. It appears that the player is also keen to move to fresh pastures. The lack of Guarin or anyone close to the player coming out and denying any of the rumours is enough confirmation of this. No doubt if he cannot find a club willing to match or improve his salary and ambitions he will appear, genuine and honest, in front of the microphones pledging his love for Inter and stating that he never intended to leave, but the truth is the relationship is over and everyone is looking to move on.
The signs had been there for a while, most clearly in the last transfer window, that fateful month of January 2014 when new owner Erik Thohir’s will collapsed under the weight of the incredulousness felt by fans as the clock ticked down to Guarin swapping clubs with Mirko Vucinic. After all, why would Inter swap a 27 year old Columbian international who only months earlier had been deemed a star of the team, with a 30 year old Montenegrin international, whose best years seemed behind him and who struggled to now get himself off the bench at Juventus. Suspicious Internazionale supporters immediately picked up on the scent of the Pirlo. The familiar smell that appeared whenever Inter were about to make a deal that would see one off their players swapped for either a lesser player or a ridiculously low fee, leaving fans facing years of taunts about the ones who got away. The smell was obviously nicknamed after the great midfielder who was traded to Milan for some magic peanuts but has regularly been applied to other transfers be it Fabio Cannavaro moving to Juventus in exchange for goalkeeper Carini, the departure of Clarence Seedorf to Milan for Francesco Coco, or the more recent sale of Coutinho to Liverpool for 10 million Euros, a deal the English media remind Inter fans of on a weekly basis as the small Brazilian does what virtually everyone but Marko Branca knew was capable of.
With the Pirlo sitting firmly in the nostrils of Nerazzurri fans Thohir pulled the plug on the transfer, scoring bonus points with fans for also leaving Juventus fuming. Guarin, despite some reluctance, would stay at the club, convinced by a new contract tying him down until 2017 and offering an undeserved pay rise which incidentally would only increase the difficulty in finding a club willing to pay his indecent wages. Any thought that this new contract would see Guarin snap out of his Jekyll and Hyde impressions and perform with consistency were soon dashed as the Columbian’s decent into mediocrity continued at a relentless pace. His form after the dramas of January saw him chalk up a meagre 2 assists in the nine games between match days 22 and 31. His fall from grace was only confirmed in the final seven games, four of which he spent watching from the bench, the other three containing a total of only 38 minutes of game time.
For the Columbian there were no real answers. It was not really clear what his best position on the pitch was; he was consistent in losing his men defensively when playing deeper; unable to control matches when sitting centrally and couldn’t bring his team mates into the game when moving further forward. He would thrill the fans with some moments of pure excellence but these were sandwiched between extended periods of absenteeism. He is a player that most fans would love to see do well but one who the club simply cannot afford to carry in the hope that he finds his rhythm on a regular basis.
So why is the Columbian still at the club? After all 15 million Euros is not that much of a fee for a player entering his prime, particularly with all the cash flooding the Premier League, a competition seemingly designed for a player as direct as Guarin. Why is he still at Inter when it seems that every day a new club is interested in him? The simple answer is that they are not. Many of the rumours are undoubtedly put out there by agents and Inter themselves to get an idea of interest, to let clubs know that he is available and his approximate price. For those clubs who do have a genuine interest and who are not put off by his simply astounding salary reported to be around 100,000 Euros per week (you read that right!), they regard him as a potential back up should they fail to secure their first choices. He will be the guy who will be snapped up in the last couple of days of the window by clubs desperate to make some sort of signing. That is if Inter are lucky. Until then the rumours will continue to adorn the pages of Sempreinter.com of all the clubs who are interested, how negotiations have hit an impasse and of how potential deals can be reached.
Do you agree with Sam? Discuss below in the comments section.