Midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu is only becoming more and more decisive in his holding midfield role for Inter Milan.

Today’s print edition of Rome-based newspaper Corriere dello Sport, via FCInterNews, highlight the 29-year-old former AC Milan midfielder’s place at the heart of the Nerazzurri team.

Calhanoglu came into this season with a firmly-established place in Inter’s starting eleven.

The Turkish international had spent his first two seasons at the club undergoing something of a positional transformation.

Calhanoglu had played as more of an attacking midfielder or winger for much of his career. That was certainly the case when he was playing in the Bundesliga, for Hamburg and Bayer Leverkusen.

Then during four seasons at AC Milan, the Turk started to move deeper into a box-to-box role.

That was the position that Inter signed Calhanoglu to play. He replaced Christian Eriksen.

But then last season, as Marcelo Brozovic was out for significant periods with injury, Calhanoglu filled in for the Croat in the holding midfield role.

Whilst Calhanoglu may only have been an emergency solution initially, he proved to be more than that.

Hakan Calhanoglu More & More Decisive For Inter

Calhanoglu’s performance in the holding midfield role made him first-choice ahead of Brozovic.

The latter left Inter during the summer transfer window.

The summer also saw Calhanoglu sign a contract extension with Inter until the end of June 2027. There was no doubting the 29-year-old’s importance to the team.

However, the Gazzetta suggests, Calhanoglu has not just rested on his laurels this season.

Rather, the last few months have seen even more growth from the former Rossoneri man.

If last season was one for Calhanoglu to find his feet in a new position, this one has given him the chance to take steps forward.

Calhanoglu has put in several man-of-the-match worthy displays already this campaign.

The Gazzetta highlights the 29-year-old’s impact in matches against Atalanta, Napoli, and Udinese this season. He has become a player who Inter look to to unlock matches.

Now more than ever, Calhanoglu is arguably the player who, more than any other, Inter cannot do without to decide matches.,