Inter midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu has few doubts that his future is at the Nerazzurri.
Speaking to Italian news outlet Gazzetta.it in an in-depth interview, the 29-year-old expressed a desire to remain at Inter, whilst he also spoke about his former AC Milan teammate Franck Kessie and about the Nerazzurri’s path forward in the Champions League.
Calhanoglu joined Inter in the summer of 2021 from city rivals AC Milan on a free transfer, and during the time he’s been at the club he has established himself as a vital player in midfield.
The former Bayer Leverkusen and Hamburg player has also become captain of the Turkish national team, replacing striker Burak Yilmaz who retired from international football last year.
Reports have suggested that Calhanoglu is close to agreeing a contract extension with Inter, and the player himself said that “I’m proud that Inter want to extend my contract, and my intention is to stay here.”
“But I want to stay in Milan even after that, continuing to work in football.”
“Maybe I’ll even open a 100% Turkish restaurant, something a bit lacking in this city,” he suggested.
This season, Calhanoglu has found form playing in a more deep-lying role as the regista at the base of the Nerazzurri’s midfield trio.
Asked if he feels that he is currently playing the best football of his career, the Inter midfielder replied “Yes, without a doubt.”
“I’ve improved in every aspect of my game, I’m a more mature person including off the pitch,” he continued.
“I’m having my best season because mentally I always feel that I’m on track.”
Of how joining Inter has helped him grow and evolves, Calhanoglu stated that “From the first day that I arrived, I understood that there was a special atmosphere here, it’s different.”
“I have to thank my teammates, the coaching staff, and everyone who works here,” the Turk said, “I felt welcome right away.”
“The positivity from the fans gave me energy, motivation, and self-confidence, I feel free here, I know they support me even when I make a mistake.”
Turning to matters off the match, Calhanoglu then noted that “I feel that I’ve taken another step forward in terms of mentality after the earthquake in Turkey, it’s been immensely painful and it shook me emotionally.”
“Now I get more intense on the pitch, I feel that it’s my job to give my all to give people something to celebrate, when there are people suffering out there,” he reflected.
Asked what position he feels is his best one, the versatile midfielder replied that “Wherever I’m played, I’ll give my best.”
“I was already playing as a deep-lying playmaker for the national team, and my agent always told me, ‘That’s your best role.'”
“His words always stuck in my head,” the 29-year-old continued, “that’s why I see myself being at my best playing in front of the defence, it’s no coincidence that my idol was Pirlo.”
“Thanks to [Inter coach Simone] Inzaghi, I’ve completed my game in this position, especially from a defensive standpoint,” he noted.
“Now the physical duels are something I’m more eager to get involved in, I shoot less on goal but I still manage to control the game, the tempo, help my teammates from a deeper role.”
“And there’s still always the possibility of a goal coming, like against Barcelona at the San Siro,” Calhanoglu looked back at one the most important moments of his and Inter’s season in the Champions League.
Of young midfielder Kristjan Asllani, who arrived at Inter last summer from Empoli as a long-term signing for the holding midfielder position, Calhanoglu noted that “I talk with him a lot, especially when he looks demoralized or disappointed.”
“At the age of twenty a lot of players have been in his situation, often sitting on the bench,” the Turk noted, “it’s difficult to stand out at this Inter team, but you learn a lot.”
“He has to remain calm and work hard, grow in character, become tougher, then his time will come because he’s a player with great quality,” Calhanoglu said of Asllani.
When it was noted that he does not necessarily have the same reputation as midfielders like Real Madrid’s Luka Modric, Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne, Barcelona’s Pedri, and Manchester United’s Casemiro, Calhanoglu was asked if he feels that he’s underrated.
“Yes,” he replied, “I feel that I’m underestimated.”
“I’m not far from the names you mentioned,” the 29-year-old stated, “I have everything to get close the level of those players, with how I’ve grown I see myself as being among the top five players in Europe in my role, I say it with humility but I’m aware of my quality.”
“Maybe at the moment there are players, particularly those in the Premier League, who have wider visibility,” Calhanoglu suggested.
Calhanoglu was then asked about the transition from playing at Milan to playing for Inter, where he has become a fan favourite.
When it was pointed out that it is rare for a player to be so strongly accepted so early on after making a transfer across a derby divide, the former Rossoneri midfielder said that “At first the fans had doubts, as is to be expected.”
“Replacing a great player like [former Inter and current Manchester United midfielder Christian] Eriksen and coming here from Milan wasn’t easy,” he looked back.
“But I was sure that if I just played my football, the tone would start to change and the fans would start to appreicate me.”
“The love has been spontaneous,” Calhanoglu said of his connection with Inter fans, “there hasn’t been a need for any grand theatrical gestures, it’s grown slowly without a real spark.”
On the other side has been a negative reaction to the midfielder from fans of his former club Milan following his move, of which Calhanolgu said “I’ll put it this way – for half the city I’m an idol, and for the other half I’m the enemy.”
“Half loves me and half hates me.”
“On the same day I’ve happened to hear both Milanista insults and Interista chants walking down the street,” he noted.
“It’s a part of football, and I won’t be either the first or the last person to experience a situation like this,” Calhanoglu noted.
“But now I don’t pay any attention to it,” he continued, “the past is the past.”
“I have a tough character which has helped me go further.”
“The way I see it, if I think that I’m right, I always defend myself, without any fear,” the midfielder explained.
“And in the end, the love of the Inter fans is enough for me,” he added.
Of former Milan and current Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie, who has been the subject of transfer links to Inter, Calhanoglu said that “He’s a friend and a great player, top players are always welcome here.”
“We still speak often, it’s true,” he said of his former Rossoneri teammate.
“He knows he plays for a great team, but he also knows that Inter would be no less so,” Calhanoglu suggested.
Of the return of Inter midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, who had been injured for a large part of the season, Calhanoglu said that “Thanks to having Brozo back, we’re once again one of the best midfields in Europe.”
Turning to the team’s less-than-stellar form in Serie A this season, Calhanoglu admitted that “No one expected Inter to be so far behind at this stage.”
“Napoli deserve to be where they are, but it’s our fault, the same as last season.”
“We could have been closer behind them if we hadn’t dropped some of the points we have,” he argued.
“Now nobody’s catching up with Napoli, but we have to continue playing with the right attitude, the one we showed against Porto, in every match.”
“We still want to win the Coppa Italia, and I think in the Champions League we can be a surprise,” the 29-year-old predicted.
