Inter Milan went into the 2014-15 Serie A campaign under Walter Mazzarri with much optimism following a fifth-place finish the previous season.
With two games remaining, however, the Nerazzurri sit eighth and face the prospect of no European football in 2015-16.
Fifty-two points from 36 games has Internazionale sitting eighth this season in Serie A. 2014-15 was supposed to be the campaign that saw Mazzarri’s side ascend from its previous season’s finish of fifth to claiming a Champions League berth in the top three.
A productive transfer window did not result in success for the club though, as Inter endured a lacklustre opening few months of the campaign, where Mazzarri’s side was sitting in mid-table. The manager was dismissed in November and Roberto Mancini took his place at the helm, resulting in a renewed sense of optimism amongst the Nerazzurri faithful.
Another productive transfer window followed, yet prosperity was not forthcoming for the club, as the Nerazzurri remained around mid-table, only picking up a good run of results upon their exit from the Europa League at the hands of VfL Wolfsburg. Mancini settled upon a consistent starting eleven, but it included only two of Inter’s nine acquisitions of 2014-15.
So how fruitful were Internazionale’s transfer dealings, and were they worthwhile in the first place?
Nemanja Vidic: One of the two aforementioned players who are now currently receiving regular minutes in Mancini’s side. Vidic is clearly not the defender he was at Manchester United, but he has proven a somewhat capable acquisition for the Milanese club. He has provided cover and leadership to Inter’s back four yet is only a short-term option due to his age and diminishing performances. In Serie A, Vidic has won 31 tackles with a success rate of 55%. As well as this, he has made 69 interceptions, 155 clearances and 17 blocks. A decent transfer overall but more cover at centre-back is needed if the Nerazzurri are to return to the Champions League.
Dodo (two-year loan from Roma): The Brazilian full-back was a regular for Inter Milan in 2014. He has provided much needed cover for the club at left-back and has proven he is up to the standard of regular first team football at a club like Inter. Due to a knee injury sustained against Cesena in March, however, Dodo will not feature for the Nerazzurri again this season. A good loan deal overall, as he can provide cover at left back for Yuto Nagatomo, and has shown he is a good second option in that position.
Yann M’Vila (loan from Rubin Kazan): The troubled yet talented Frenchman came into the squad looking to show his worth in one of Europe’s top leagues after seeing his market value drop dramatically at Russian club Rubin Kazan. After featuring sporadically for the club, M’Vila had his loan terminated by Inter. His last appearance for the club was in its 1-1 draw with Juventus on January 6th. Clearly a failed transfer and one that the club would surely regret.
Pablo Osvaldo (loan from Southampton): The controversial striker started well upon his return to Serie A. Alongside Mauro Icardi, Osvaldo kept last season’s top scorer for Inter, Rodrigo Palacio, out of the starting lineup, scoring five goals in 12 appearances in Serie A. Osvaldo also had his loan terminated by Inter Milan after he nearly came to blows with Icardi against Juventus on January 6th. Overall, the transfer was a disaster waiting to happen, and although he was somewhat prolific for the club in 2014, he was a risk not worth taking due to his behavioural record at previous clubs.
Gary Medel: The tenacious defensive midfielder is the other player that is currently a regular under Mancini. He has only missed three matches in total for the club this season in Serie A and is paramount to the team’s structure on the field. Domestically, the midfield anchorman has completed 2282 passes with a pass accuracy of 92%, 78% of which were forward passes. He is also Inter’s top performer of 2014-15, according to Squawka, with a performance score of 899 (12 ahead of second-placed Mateo Kovacic). At 27 years of age, the Chilean is just hitting his prime, and the transfer looks a bargain.
Lukas Podolski (loan from Arsenal): Mancini’s first dip into the transfer window in January 2015 appeared a good one at first. The World Cup winner, though, has rarely made an impact since his arrival, scoring only once in 16 appearances in Serie A and last completing a full 90 minutes on February 15th against Atalanta. Due to his undoubted talent, the German was a gamble worth taking, although it did not pay off.
Xherdan Shaqiri: The Switzerland international seemed a transfer coup upon his arrival at the San Siro for just €15 million. He has, however, made less of an impact than the aforementioned Podolski. At 23, though, and with an abundance of natural ability, it is only a matter of time until Shaqiri finds his feet in Serie A if he is given regular playing time. What may look like a bad transfer now may prove to be ingenious by this time next season.
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Marcelo Brozovic (18 month loan from Dinamo Zagreb): The 22-year-old was a transfer that Inter Milan did not need to make, regardless of the player’s talent, due to the stiff competition for players in his position at the club. The Croatian has been another one of Inter’s under-performing transfers this season and will need to step up his game significantly in order to convince the Nerazzurri to make the loan deal permanent.
Davide Santon: The full-back returned to the San Siro on loan initially, though the deal has now been made permanent after Inter payed the fee in the loan contract. Whilst there is no doubting Santon’s ability, the 24-year-old is extremely injury prone. This season he has played eight games out of 15 in Serie A, and the Nerazzurri will be hopeful that the full-back can feature more regularly. If so, the signing of Santon will be a positive one.
Despite two productive transfer windows in 2014-15, the club saw less success than in its previous season due to incoming players not performing to the best of their ability. Youngsters such as Shaqiri and Brozovic can turn out to be good pieces of business, however, based on this season alone, the two have under-performed.
What first seemed as a step forward for the Nerazzurri, in terms of their acquisitions, now looks like a step sideways, as the players the club has brought in have not improved the team on the whole, apart from a select few.
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