Former Sporting Lisbon coach Tiago Fernandes explains why Tiago Djalo is the ideal profile to join Inter Milan.
The 23-year-old currently plays for Lille but should leave the French club once his contract expires at the end of the season.
For their part, the Nerazzurri have been tracking the defender for quite some time now.
Beppe Marotta and Piero Ausilio are looking to sign him as a free agent in the summer. Most accounts consider the Italian giants as the favorites for the player’s signature. They reportedly have a verbal agreement in place with the Portuguese.
Before joining AC Milan in 2019, Djalo had started his career at Sporting Lisbon’s academy.
During that time, the centre-back worked under the guidance of Fernandes who’s currently the coach of Torreense S23.
The 42-year-old only has words of praise for his old pupil, He reveals how Djalo’s characteristics render him the right profile for the Nerazzurri.
“Djalo is an excellent player. He’s very fast with a high concentration level in one-on-one situations,” said Fernandes in his interview with Sportitalia via FcInterNews.
“He has good quality and approaches matches well from the first minute.
“And his speed must be underlined because if you play with Tiago in the team, you know that you can keep the defensive line very high as he’s capable of controlling large spaces behind him.
“I believe he would be a good fit for Inzaghi’s playing system. he would adapt perfectly.”
Former Sporting Coach Tiago Fernandes Tips Tiago Djalo To Thrive At Inter Milan
Fernandes also identifies the player’s ideal position in Simone Inzghi’s 3-5-2 tactical system.
“I see him playing as a right centre-back because he is very good at building up the play, controlling the ball and launching attacking plays.
“He has an excellent ability to decide how to manage the ball inside the opponent’s half. He can also pull off a good pass between the lines for the attackers.
“And whenever he loses the ball, he is very quick at tracking back to recover it.”
