There is no doubting that Inter have had a stellar mercato thus far. The Nerazzurri have significantly strengthened the defense and midfield, and are now focusing on beefing up the attack. A circus of names have been linked with Inter in the last couple weeks. Today, I will be analyzing Inter’s activity in the transfer market regarding attacker, as well as giving my opinion on what the best options are in my opinion.
At the moment Inter have 3 attackers: Mauro Icardi, Rodrigo Palacio, and Xherdan Shaqiri. Players like Samuele Longo do not seem like capable strikers to fire Inter into the Champions League, and should be loaned out to gain much needed first team experience. Inter’s transfer activity will greatly depend on the formation Roberto Mancini decides to play. A 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation would require more wing play, and therefore Inter would have to bring in wingers. Should Mancini decide to play a 4-3-1-2, then the Nerazzurri’s prime focus should be to bring in a striker.
Inter have been linked with a whole list of attacker: Stevan Jovetic, Mohammed Salah, Ivan Perisic, Juan Cuadrado, and Dries Mertens. I will be analyzing where the best opportunities lie, and which players Inter should and should not gamble on.
Stevan Jovetic
Jovetic would be a perfect player should Mancini decide to play a 4-3-1-2 formation. The Manchester City player could also play in a 4-2-3-1 formation as a trequartista, and a 4-3-3 formation as right winger. The Montenegrin has Serie A experience after his fine spell with Fiorentina. Unfortunately, Jovetic has struggled with injuries since the early days of his career. Great risks could result in a great return. This is the case with Inter and Stevan Jovetic, with the key work being ‘could.’ Jovetic is a proven goalscorer in Serie A, which is evident by the fact that he scored 15 goals in the 2012-2013 season with the Viola. However, it would be no good to see Inter pay for a player that is always injured and produces very few moments of magic during his short amount of time on the pitch. Manchester City are asking for around 15 million euros, which could prove to be a great reward for the risk taken. I would be willing to take the risk, seeing that Jovetic can fit into both of Mancini’s formation, and the Montenegrin is a fantastic player.
Mohammed Salah
The most intriguing transfer saga involving Inter so far this mercato has been the story of Mohammed Salah. The Egyptian vetoed a 12 month extension to his loan with Fiorentina after the Viola payed the 1 million euros to Chelsea to extend the player’s stay in Florence. Fiorentina’s relationship has gone from bad to worse, as the club released attacks against Inter for attempting to poach Salah from under their noses. Reports suggest that Fiorentina will not take legal action against any Italian clubs that sign Salah, but they would prefer to see the player end up at Roma. The player has agreed to join Roma, but Inter are still in the race. Chelsea want 25 million euros for the Egyptian, which is a hefty sum. Salah is a fantastic player, and he showed that by scoring 9 goals and assisting 4 in half a season for the Viola. I think that 25 million euros is a lot of money, but Inter should try to sign Salah, but the demands are excessive. First, we must sell and get rid of many players who serve as surplus requirements to Mancini. Unfortunately, we might be too late.
Ivan Perisic
Ivan Perisic is another player that has been heavily linked with the Nerazzurri in recent weeks, and talks of a deal reached a peek, until Wolfsburg’s sporting director Aulafs stated that the German club will not sell their players. Ivan Perisic is a solid player. The Croatian work-rate is fantastic, and the player has some skill to go along with it. Perisic may not be as technically gifted as Jovetic, but his work rate definitely makes up for it. The player’s price is about 20 million euros. For a player like Perisic, I think that this is too much, and Wolfsburg are proving very stubborn during negotiations. Persian broke his shoulder about a year ago, which could make the player slightly injury prone. Overall, I think that Perisic would be a solid addition to the team, but it seems that Inter must sell Shaqiri before bringing in the Croatian. I personally would like to see Shaqiri being given a chance, but it is up to Mancini, and maybe Perisic suits his style more.
The Verdict
I think that Inter need attackers to improve the squad, seeing that it may be the team’s least deep area. I think that Inter should keep Shaqiri and give him a chance at Inter. Unfortunately, this does not seem likely as the player seems destined to leave. Should the Swiss international depart, I would like to see a right winger, and a left winger brought in. However, it seem that Mancini is pointing in the direction of using a 4-3-1-2 formation. Inter are very close to pulling the trigger on the Jovetic deal. I personally prefer a 4-3-3 formation, and my dream trident is Perisic-Icardi-Salah. It seems like this will not happen, due to the amount of money it would take to bring in the two wingers. In the end I think that we will have a strike partnership of Jovetic-Icardi, which is definitely a solid paring. There is still a large chunk of the mercato remaining, and anything is possible. Forza Inter!
What do you guys think Inter should do regarding attackers this mercato. Leave a comment down below and hit me up on twitter @aadamahmed91.
