The reasons behind Inter’s rush to recruit €28m Gagliardini
If everything goes to plan, Inter will organise a car to take Roberto Gagliardini from Malaga airport to their winter training camp in Marbella. The Nerazzurri simply can’t wait to have him. While everyone else got to open their presents on Christmas day, it's as if they have been told to be patient and hold off until now. But as we have observed in Inter’s rather fast and loose approach to hiring and firing this season, this is not a virtue they possess.
Atalanta would have preferred it, for instance, if Gagliardini had stayed in Bergamo until the end of the season and maybe even beyond that; a little like the deal Juventus have done for Mattia Caldara, which will see him move to Turin in 2018. That piece of business is practically a repeat of the arrangement they made with Empoli for Daniele Rugani. Inter, however, feel they can’t put this one off any longer and you can understand why. Their director of sport Pier Ausilio knows that were they to do so, Juventus would get to Gagliardini and add him to their collection of players who will be regulars for Italy over the next decade. Then there's the matter of short-term goals. Inter have significant ground to make up if they are to realise the minimum objective they set themselves this season and return to the Champions League.
But spare a thought for Atalanta in all this. It's bittersweet for them. One of the big questions going into the second half of the season is: how long can they keep this up? With Gagliardini now gone and Franck Kessie away at the African Cup of Nations, Gian Piero Gasperini has lost his high octane duo in midfield. Kessie might not even return from his adventures in Gabon as interest in him is now so great that Atalanta can hold an auction. On the other hand, of course, owner Antonio Percassi must feel great pride. Juventus and Inter are paying a small fortune for Caldara [€20m] and Gagliardini [€28m]. And were Atalanta to also get what they’re after for Kessie [€35m] either now or in the summer, the total figure from the sales [€83m] of these three talented kids would be greater than the sum the club managed to turn over as a whole [€74m] last year. That must be cause for pride and only embellishes further the glowing reputation of Atalanta’s legendary Zingonia academy.
Looking at it from Inter's point of view the acquisition of Gagliardini is not only encouraging in and of itself but because of what it says about the club. The word filtering out of Inter at the moment is that they are preparing to follow the growing trend in Serie A and do what the likes of Sassuolo, Atalanta, Milan and Torino have done and invest in young, gifted and Italian players. Plans are supposedly afoot to bring Marco Verratti back to Italy and lure either Federico Bernardeschi or Domenico Berardi north to San Siro.
If you disregard FFP for a moment and exactly how Inter achieve compliancy, what’s clear is Suning have the financial capability to do big business in the transfer market. Gagliardini is set to become the most expensive Italian player to join Inter since Christian Vieri. Joao Mario’s transfer in the summer matched the club record and Suning also splurged €29.5m on Gabigol who, despite being fit, only played a quarter of an hour before Stefano Pioli reminded us all the Brazilian does actually exist by giving him a couple of late substitutes’ appearances in Inter’s final two games before Christmas.
The case of Gabigol is something of a cautionary tale in that it tells us Inter don’t always buy what they need. The much hyped 21-year-old Brazil international has got a lot less game time than he expected, in part because his adaptation to a new league and new culture wasn’t helped by the turbulence caused by a change of manager and internal politics, but also because another of Inter’s summer signings was a certain Antonio Candreva who just so happens to play in Gabigol’s natural position on the right wing. Inter’s reputation as a dysfunctional club over the last five years should scare most youngsters off signing for them. Unless you have a personality the size of Mauro Icardi’s it’s hard to establish yourself and realise your potential at this club. There has been too much disruption, too much instability. Just ask Andrea Ranocchia.
When he arrived at Appiano Gentile, the consensus was that of Bari’s two promising young centre-backs, Inter had got the better prospect; the other one being a former Inter academy graduate by the name of Leonardo Bonucci. Either the talent assessment was way off - Bonucci is now arguably the best player in the world in his position - or Inter have done Ranocchia a disservice, shattering his confidence and bringing about a regression. This is the fear for Gagliardini whose emergence and rapid development at Atalanta can be put down to their being structure and stability. He knows exactly what his job is in Bergamo and has clearly defined reference points when he plays, which only make his decision-making easier. He also knows Caldara and Andrea Conti’s games inside-out, having played with them at more or less every level since he was a boy.
Gagliardini will initially miss these things at Inter. The framework Gasperini has put around him at Atalanta has also covered his limits. Gagliardini isn’t the quickest, nor is he an obvious technician. His touch can often be heavy. Needless to say he isn’t the deep-lying playmaker Inter so desperately need. Pioli will have to wait to find his Biglia figure. Although there has been talk of him starting for his new club as soon as this Sunday against Udinese, he might not get the game-time he has been guaranteed at Atalanta.
What do Inter see in Gagliardini then? Well, let’s start with his physical attributes. Gagliardini is 6’2”. He has a long stride and covers a lot of ground. This is the principal reason why Gasperini has called him the ‘White Pogba’. For a coach like Pioli who insists on playing a high energy, high pressing game, Gagliardini has understandable appeal. He's averaging 4.4 tackles and interceptions combined per 90 minutes. Gagliardini’s timing stands out in knowing when to go and hustle an opponent. Thanks to Gasperini's teachings, he is also aware of how to set upon an opponent as well, what body position to take. Special attention is given to winning second balls particularly in the zone just outside the box as teams attempt to clear their lines from an attack either from open play or a set-piece. Gagliardini tends to prowl the edge of the penalty area before pouncing on a loose ball or an opponent who dallies on it a little too long, resulting in just three central midfielders winning possession in the final third more frequently (every 97 minutes).
With the ball, it's speed of thought rather than fleet of foot that marks him out. Gagliardini looks to play it forward as quickly as possible. Comparisons have been made with Claudio Marchisio, not least because Gagliardini replaced the Juventus midfielder in the Italy squad when he got injured before the games against Liechtenstein and Germany. In truth, he has yet to show the organising ability that has come to distinguish Marchisio's style of play. Considering Gagliardini's stride, there is a feeling he could develop into more of a box-to-box midfielder as his career progresses. However, the aforementioned lack of pace holds him back a little in this regard. If Gagliardini learns to time his runs into the penalty area as well as he does his pressing, though, he could well turn into a goal threat from midfield. So far, he’s had 19 shots in 13 appearances for Atalanta, although only five have hit the target.
Very likely to be the biggest transfer of the January window in Italy, let us all hope this proves to be the right move for Gagliardini and the beginning of Inter also taking steps in the right direction in their recruitment as well as they seek to become a little less Internazionale and a little more Italian.
