Despite facing the upcoming season without European football, Inter Milan has managed to acquire one of the most sought after players this transfer window with the signing of Geoffrey Kondogbia from AS Monaco for a fee around the region of €35 million.
The 22-year-old looked set to join city rivals AC Milan. Club CEO Adriano Galliani believed he had the deal tied up, saying the club had received the green light from Monaco for the transfer and that the documentation between club and player had been exchanged.
Then along came Inter at the 11th hour. The Nerazzurri gazumped their fierce rivals to the signing of the defensive midfielder, and now look to stamp their authority in Serie A with a midfield that can rival the likes of Juventus and AS Roma. The addition of the former Sevilla man is one that will be greeted with immense buoyancy by Inter fans and it improves an already talented midfield that includes first rate quality such as Mateo Kovacic, Fredy Guarin, Hernanes and Xherdan Shaqiri.
With the Frenchman’s arrival in the blue half of Italy’s fashion capital comes a renewed sense of optimism for supporters of the club, as hopes of a return to the Champions League gain substance. To develop an understanding of the quality Inter is adding to its squad, one may point to the fact that the RC Lens youth product was reportedly courted by Real Madrid and Barcelona prior to signing for the club.
A tall, athletic and combative defensive midfielder, Kondogbia is a step up from Chilean workhorse Gary Medel, despite impressing greatly since his arrival at the San Siro in August 2014. The Frenchman made more league tackles in 2014-15 (61) than any other Inter Milan midfielder, displaying his battling attitude on the pitch – an essential trait for teams aspiring to reach the Champions League. In comparison, Medel mustered 59 tackles, though the Chilean made 35 appearances for his team in the league with 2984 minutes played – considerably more than Kondogbia who represented his side 23 times in Ligue 1, appearing in just 1,906 minutes of Monaco’s campaign due to a thigh injury. Per 90 minutes this relates to 2.65 tackles for the 22-year-old and just 1.69 for Medel.
Also capable of performing as a box-to-box midfielder, Kondogbia could play alongside the former Cardiff City midfielder in the engine room (something that already has occurred when the two were at Sevilla), potentially forming a stringent defensive midfield pairing capable of protecting a somewhat error-prone back four. This would also allow Croatian talent Kovacic to be deployed higher up the pitch in a more advanced role where his creativity and flair would flourish. Whilst not known as a creative force, when used as a box-to-box midfielder, the tower of strength that is Kondogbia is proficient in bulldozing his way past opponents and unleashing fierce efforts from distance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gd4Rj5Irq0U
For all the positives that come with acquiring a player of substantial quality, the main negative aspect is usually the transfer fee, and this case is no different. If the Nerazzurri were to sign another player in the coming transfer window – an option those at the head of Inter’s transfer negotiations are pursuing – it is difficult to imagine that the club would be abiding by Financial Fair Play regulations with expenditure that would add onto a sum that is most likely upward of €35 million.
Add to that a large squad, many of whom are on relatively high wages, no extra revenue to be gained through competing in a European competition, so it appears Internazionale would have to sell in order to buy again, and in today’s transfer market where prices are usually inflated, the acquisition of the highest calibre of players may not be financially viable.
This aside, the signing of the Frenchman is one that will go a long way to hoisting Roberto Mancini’s men back into the top three of the Serie A table. Compared to Patrick Vieira in the past, Kondogbia’s physical presence, technical skill and impressive work rate are more than a welcome addition to this Inter Milan side.
In 2014-15, the former Monaco man averaged 58 passes per 90 minutes with a pass success rate of 86%. Kondogbia also averaged 2.48 interceptions per game as well as an average rate of duels won of 60%. If he can bring these stats across to Italy then his side should easily finish the season further up the table than eighth.
Given the former Sevilla midfielder’s age, the Nerazzurri are not just buying for the here and now but also for the future. Leonardo Jardim’s former charge at the principality can go on to become an Inter stalwart for the next decade, perhaps surpassing one of the best defensive midfielders to ever don the famous black and blue in Esteban Cambiasso.
This signing shows that Erick Thohir is not afraid to loosen the purse strings in order to bring the club back to the pinnacle of Italian and, perhaps in the near future, world football. It is a huge statement of intent for the following season and Max Allegri’s Juventus is sure to sit up and take notice of the team that Inter Milan is assembling. It is also a huge kick in the teeth for Sinisa Mihajlovic and AC Milan.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
