The next two weeks will be crucial for striker Mehdi Taremi to settle in and get up to speed after joining Inter Milan.
Today’s print edition of Turin-based newspaper Tuttosport, via FCInterNews, highlight the importance of the first couple weeks of preseason for the 31-year-old Iranian international.
Now, Taremi is officially an Inter player.
The Nerazzurri confirmed the 31-year-old’s arrival on a free transfer from Porto yesterday.
Taremi coming in is very significant for Inter’s attack.
Inter have not just brought the Iranian in to be a backup option next season.
Of course, competing for a starting place with the likes of Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram will not be easy for Taremi. He will have to accept spending some time on the bench, undoubtedly.
But at the same time, Taremi expects to play a real role at Inter next season.
The 31-year-old will be able to give Martinez and Thuram a chance to rest through the gruelling fixture list, without Inter’s attack suffering a drop-off in quality.
And Taremi will undoubtedly want to push for a starting spot in big matches as well.
The Iranian’s arrival will surely light a fire under Inter’s other forwards, who know that there is real competition for their starting spots next campaign.
Two Crucial Weeks Ahead For Mehdi Taremi At Inter Milan
All of that will be dependent on Taremi hitting the ground running and finding his best form, though.
And in that respect, the start that the Iranian gets could be the decisive factor.
Taremi is among the players who is starting Inter’s preseason training camp this weekend.
A lot of the Nerazzurri squad is currently away due to their international duty.
Crucially, that includes Inter’s other strikers. Marko Arnautovic and Marcus Thuram are still on holidays after the Euros with Austria and France respectively.
And Inter captain Lautaro Martinez will be in action in the final of the Copa America this evening.
That means that, at the moment, Taremi is the only senior striker in Inter’s training camp.
This is an excellent opportunity for the 31-year-old to get plenty of one-on-one time working with Nerazzurri coach Simone Inzaghi.
At both Lazio and Inter, Inzaghi has developed a reputation for getting the best out of strikers.
The 48-year-old is a former centre-forward himself. And his 3-5-2 system has accommodated plenty of versatile forwards who have shown some of their best form.
Key to this is strikers really understanding Inzaghi’s tactical instructions and clicking into the team.
This intense early period in preseason will give Taremi an opportunity to do exactly that.
