The Cult of Calcio
·16 October 2024
The Cult of Calcio
·16 October 2024
Inter are keeping tabs on a pair of midfielders, as the drop-off between Hakan Calhanoglu and Kristjan Asllani is visible every time the Turk gets a breather. The Albanian talent has the trust of the staff and the brass, but they expect him to improve this season, Corriere dello Sport informs (via Fantacalcio).
The Nerazzurri are following two Serie A youngsters at the position: Parma’s Adrian Bernabé and Hellas Verona’s Reda Belahyane. The former has grown steadily since joining the Ducali from Manchester City. He has confirmed himself after the promotion. Instead, the Scaligeri midfielder has been an early revelation after getting spotty minutes in the second half of the previous one.
The Gialloblù are eyeing another big ‘plusvalenza’ since they acquired the 20-year-old for just €500k from Nice last January. Inter recently renewed the contract of Asllani until 2029, with a moderate pay bump, but he’ll have to raise the level of his game to remain untouchable on the transfer market.
The Nerazzurri spent €15M to acquire him from Empoli, and he has tallied 66 appearances with them, scoring once and providing 2 assists. He had plenty of requests last summer. The team might be able to recoup their investment if they wished to.
He showed great class in Tuscany, and his ceiling is intact, but it’s tough for a youngster to get better with scarce playing time, so it’s quite a pickle. It won’t be long before they have to think about an heir for Calhanoglu either. Conversely, they won’t splurge until the Turk is still going strong, which rules out Bernabé, who’s ready to pull the strings in a top club.