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.
As the minutes ran down to the end of another transfer window filled with hope, concern and promise, the shape of Inter 2014/15, at least until January, has been finalised. This was perhaps the most important window for Inter in the last ten years as its lofty ambitions were to bring in the players who could help make up for the departed senators. Names were bounced back and forward, some setting the pulses alight, others causing dread to seep deep into the hearts of Nerazzurri supporters across the globe. With the dust now settled on the 2014 summer Mercato we go through some of the stories, highlights and fun of Inter’s silly season.
Sorry to see you go: We start with the player who many fans wished to see remain with the Nerazzurri but who, in the end, needed to move on for both the clubs and the player’s sake. Ricky Alvarez was a player that somewhat split the opinion of the fans, some saw him as a talented match winner who could set the game alight; others as a player who often went missing and who failed to put forward consistent performances. In the end a split feels like the best idea for both parties. (sidenote: Cambiasso, Zanetti, Milito and Samuel were not considered in this category)
Honourable mentions: Rolando
Signing with most potential: It was a transfer policy designed around cherry picking specific players, most of whom with fairly known qualities. Dodô however, caught a few by surprise when he arrived from Roma. The young Brazilian looks to have already made an impact and could be roaming Inter’s left flank for years to come.
Surely we could have done with him?: This season’s mercato has seen the loan deal become just as important as actual full signings as clubs scramble to deal with the ongoing effects of Financial Fair Play. Some clubs want to try before they buy, not willing to risk significant funds on a player who is not a sure thing, while smaller clubs hover around the young talent being stockpiled by the big clubs who realise it is cheaper to own them before they break out than after. One player Inter could have perhaps thought twice about loaning out was striker Samuele Longo. The young Primavera talent looks suited to a mid level team but with only three strikers currently on Inter’s books it may have been pertinent to keep him in house for insurance.
The ‘What happened there’ award: Transfer deadline day is often filled with strange and unusual rumours and occurrences. Perhaps one of the stranger ones was Saphir Taider appearing back on Inter’s books on deadline day after a loan spell with Southampton lasted only three weeks. Apparently Ronald Koeman was unimpressed by the Algerian international’s work ethic and decided there was more chance of Gibraltar winning the next World Cup than Taider fitting in at his club. The Algerian was swiftly moved on to the more comfortable clime of Sassuolo.
The ‘I am over this already’ award: No prize for guessing who gets this award. Inter’s own ‘want away but only to a club as big as his ego’ midfielder Fredy Guarin. The Guarin transfer saga has now rumbled on for a good 8 months now and will no doubt hit the full year come January as real suitors for the player appear closer to his shots on target stat rather than total shots. A combination of high salary, reasonably high reported transfer fee and simply not performing at the expected level has meant the teams he wants to go to don’t want to sign him. Inter fans can only hope that he will be fired up to perform over the coming months to put himself out there for January.
The ‘I never knew what we saw in each other award’: There have been a few of these over the last couple of years but one which continues to stand out in his ordinariness is Matias Silvestre, a player who never seemed to be Inter material when signed by Branca and who proved himself not Inter quality over the coming season in a series of bumbling performances. His later loan to Milan reinforced this belief and a complete lack of interest from anyone taking him off Inter’s hands permanently this season will see his final year with Inter being played out at Sampdoria. No tears will be shed when it all ends.
Honourable mention: Ezequiel Schelotto, Gaby Mudingayi, MacDonald Mariga
‘But they said he was so good’ award: Sometimes young players are signed who get the fans excited that they may have uncovered the next big thing. When Ishak Belfodil was signed many fans were concerned at what appeared to be a high price but also excited by the talk that he could be the next great striker at Inter. Things could have been much further from the truth. Belfodil lumbered away for six months at the club recording one assist in his few appearances before being shipped off to Livorno on loan where he failed to record anything. He departs to Parma leaving Inter to count the cost of this ill advised foray.
The ‘thank God we didn’t sign him prize: As is tradition Inter were linked to a massive amount of players over the summer, some good, some not so good. One player who was rumoured to be close to joining the ranks of the Nerazzurri was Fernando Torres the lead footed striker whose game plan revolves around coming up with new and amusing ways to mess up clear goal scoring opportunities became marginalised under Jose Mourinho at Chelsea and was rumoured to be looking for a way out. Inter, already struggling to get the ball in the net, could ill afford a striker better at clearing the ball off the line than putting it over it, which naturally left perennial past their used by date loan getters Milan to snap him up. No doubt he will make everyone look stupid by setting Serie A alight in a Berlusconi inspired ‘Bunga Bunga’ fuelled rampage.
The one who got away: As the clock ticked down on the transfer window, many Nerazzurri wondered whether Inter would be signing another forward to add to the ranks. Mazzarri likes to play with two forwards but found himself with a stockpile of only three, one of which was injured (Palacio), and one barely off the plane (Osvaldo). The much needed fourth option never arrived however, leaving the team worryingly short in this department. The club was linked to several over the course of the window with Lavezzi and Firmino looking like two of the more appealing options. One can only hope this failure do sign another forward does not come back to haunt the team.
Worst Signing: In what must be the clearest sign of the end of the Branca era, it is tough to find any obvious dud signings. All appear to offer something to the team and all appear to be useful players. For now this section will be left empty, to be filled once the season’s story unravels.
Best signing: In a window where the general consensus seems to be that Inter have been both smart and efficient in their purchases it is hard to single out any one signing as being better than the others. Perhaps the capture of Nemanja Vidic shades the others purely because of the need for an experienced head at the back with the departure of so many leaders, and because of the spirit and mentality he brings into this somewhat new team.
Lifetime achievement award(s): To the four legends whose time on the San Siro came to an end. Their presence will be missed but their spirit will always remain at the club. It was a shame that the retirement of Zanetti overshadowed the departure of Milito, Samuel and in particular Cambiasso who each deserved their own share of the limelight for what they gave to Inter over the years.
Do you agree with Sam? Discuss below in the comments section.
