With the January transfer market two months away, there is already talk about where Inter need to reinforce the squad. The Nerazzurri are believed to be in search of a winger, and numerous names are being linked with the club. I will be comparing all of Inter’s targets as well as providing my opinion on what the best option is.
Sofiane Feghouli
Sofiane Feghouli has been a staple in the Valencia team for the past three seasons. The Algerian winger’s pace and trickery has helped him snatch 3 goals and 2 assists so far this season. Feghouli is fantastic in 1 v 1 situations and dribbling with the ball. The Algerian international plays primarily on the right side of the pitch and creates a lot of chances through his accurate crossing. The Valencia player’s contract expires at the end of the season. The Spanish side are eager to extend Feghouli’s contract, however the player is expected to leave either in January, or at the end of the season. Inter could try to sign Feghouli for a cheap fee this January, or wait until the end of the season to sign him for free. Chelsea and Manchester United are believed to be ready to rival Inter for the Algerian’s services. Feghouli would be a fantastic signing because he is a proven winger who is heading into the prime of his career (turning 26 years old this December). The Algerian could be a great addition to Inter’s attack.
Marko Pjaca
Dinamo Zagreb are known for producing fantastic young talents. Inter bought Mateo Kovacic and Marcelo Brozovic from the Croatian side. The former was sold for a massive transfer fee, while the latter is proving to be an important part of Inter’s midfield. Marko Pjaca is touted to be the next big thing in Croatia. The 20 year old has 3 goals and 3 assists so far this year. Pjaca is a pacy winger with a deadly right foot. The Dinamo player also has a solid build and holds up the ball well. Inter are interested in Pjaca, but Dinamo have stated that they will only sell their star player if they receive a big offer. Pjaca is a lot more effective on the left-wing due to his ability to cut inside and create chances. There has not been a lot of talk about Pjaca’s suitors, but Inter will have to present the Croatian side with a good offer to sign the 20 year old.
Dries Mertens
Inter have been linked with Dries Mertens for months now. The Nerazzurri’s relationship with Napoli could make any piece of business involving the two clubs very unlikely. However, Inter might make a move for Mertens this January. The Belgian is a proven Serie A player, but has fallen down the pecking order under Maurizio Sarri. Lorenzo Insigne’s brilliant performances have pushed Mertens out of the spotlight. So far this season the Belgian has scored 3 goals and set up 1. When it comes to negotiating with Napoli, Inter will always be up against it as Aurelio De Laurentis has stated that he does not want to strengthen any direct rivals in the middle of the season. Perhaps Inter could use a technical counterpart in a deal. Dries Mertens would be a good signing due to his international and Serie A experience in addition to his undeniable quality.
The Verdict
Dries Mertens, Sofiane Feghouli and Marko Pjaca would all bring quality to Inter’s attack. In my opinion Inter should chose to not pursue Mertens due to Napoli’s demands and the player’s age (turning 29 in 2016). Sofiane Feghouli and Marko Pjaca are both great options for Piero Ausilio. Feghouli has experience in the Champions League and La Liga. Pjaca is 5 years younger than Feghouli, but is yet to prove himself in a top European League (with all due respect to the Croatian League). I would say that Feghouli is the best option for Inter due to the fact that his contract expires at the end of the season and Inter could sign him for cheap this winter. The Algerian international is also a proven and quality player that can take Inter’s attack to the next level.
Which winger should Inter sign this January? Tweet at me @aadamforzainter
i would say go for feghouli, bcd he can be bought very cheaply and is entering his peak. also our primary target for january should be a central playmaker, so going for feghouli would mean we would save more monies
good review and analysis. i really love these articles! 🙂
Mancio’s phone – Inter’s best attacker. Absolutely merciless.
If it’s up to me i would go for Pjaca, perfect depth provider for the left wing, and his cutting inside ability is really helpful too.. As for Feghouli, i’m not really a big fan of him, but if he’s cheap i said go get him, wouldn’t hurt us.. Mertens is not cheap but if Naples accept Captain Froggy + 10millions that’s not too shabby LoL
Same here bro.
i really really wish we didnt sell kovacic it broke my heart almost as much as when we sold coutinho, now when we are good in the defence the thing we need now is creativity and with this squad we have now having kovacic we would be a very dangerous team.. i know mancini couldnt find the right position to play him but with this current squad he definetly would be the key player
We nee attacking midfielder too. Out of these three options I would go for Feghouli. Agressive attacker
Feghouli is a fantastic player. He would be a great addition to our current team. He participates a lot to the build up plays, can score and delivers fantastic crosses…
from all of those guys I’ll go for Dries Mertens by far, as he could play as CAM or winger, he has great dribbling skills and shooting, already proved in Serie A. I know he’ll be turning 29 but if our team objective becomes true, we would be playing in CL in which we need experience and quality but right away, the other players are great options but may take some time to get used to our team and League-
Why do we need wingers? Please someone explain this to me…
Because Biabiany is the only true right winger…
Lol what about peresic?
Perisic for me is an average player with great positioning, he only has 1 single dribbling skill, but knows where to be, in any case he won’t change our team- that’s why we need to find real talent-
Ah you said right, sorry didn’t see that
That’s what I was about to say. We need that playmaker, whether it’s AMC or MC, who can feed our strikers and wingers. Someone with an eye for a pass.
Then I would suggest that we buy Jonathan Calleri to compete with Icardi for the first striker spot. Icardi needs to show something more and if that’s not gonna happen then we need someone who does.
I’m agree you. Our first priority this winter must be creative midfielder, because in our game we rely only on defending and have huge problem when we need to build up. If it’s true that Chelsea are ready to get rid of Oscar, we have to give our best to secure him on reasonable price. I believe that he’s the right guy for us and will have huge impact on our game. After that we have to look for Icardi’s competitor and just then we can look for good winger.
i was reading and thinking about the same thing… but the more I think about the more I am convinced that there’s no squad depth (we only have Perisic and Ljajic) biabiany is not a starter yet..
Because Mancini wants to play 4231 and Biabiany is not starter material.
————–Medel—-Kondogbia/Brozovic
New winger—-Jovetic—-Perisic
———————Icardi
I’d go for Pjaca, simply because he’s younger and has more room to grow.
I am a big fan of Feghouli. Right age, good offensive skills, but can anybody contribute by telling about his defensive workrate? If his game also covers this, then i would say it’s a no brainer!
I haven’t been following him but heard great things about the player. I have always said inter need players first around 25-27 at this team with great skills to build a strong team then buy younger players to learn from them. So I agree feghouli fits the profile perfectly.
I hear you, I also thought it would be good bringing in a prospect like Pjaca for rotation and development. Just to mold a base around talented players like him and ex. Gnou..
I see your point Soren, but what I mean is even though inter are winning-mostly due to the defensive players- the team needs to be more complete before adding youngsters. I strongly believe youngsters loses their talent when more experienced players haven’t found their momentum or their place then inter goes back to square one.
Very good point but I’m affraid I don’t know…