What To Expect From Manuel Akanji At Inter As The Truth About Calhanoglu’s Purported Exit Is Revealed

Written By Onyeka Daniel

It may have just been five new signings for former Serie A champions, Inter Milan during the summer transfer window, but it was also filled with plenty of dramas, especially around their Turkish midfielder, Hakan Calhanoglu and his reported desire to move back to his homeland.

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For the Nerazzurri, they brought in Petar Sucic, Luis Henrique, Ange-Yoan Bonny, Andy Diouf and of course, Manuel Akanji as he became the club’s fifth signing and the oldest at 30yrs while the others were below the age of 25yrs, which is the new transfer policy of Oaktree since taking control of the club.

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The Switzerland international arrives from Manchester City on loan which becomes an obligation to sign if Inter wins the Serie A title this season and one of his former coach has revealed what to expect from the new acquisition who arrived on the last dau of the transfer window.

Former Borussia Dortmund head coach, Lucien Favre believes that Inter have upgraded on Benjamin Pavard with the signing of Akanji and he further explained what make him such a valuable addition for Cristian Chivu after arriving on loan for €2m and €15m to make it permanent.

“I was happy when I read about his transfer to Inter. He won everything at City and now I hope he repeats it in Milan,” Favre told Gazzetta dello Sport. The former Dortmund head coach, who most recently took charge of OGC Nice in 2022-23, was asked what he remembers about Akanji from their time together at Signal Iduna Park.

He replied: “His being a workaholic. I arrived in Dortmund in the summer of 2018. Akanji had come in from Basel the year before. I already knew him, we are both Swiss. “The sporting director told me that he had already taken a punt on him given his vision of the game. This sentence struck me at first.”

“When we talk about central defenders, usually the first thing we talk about is their anticipation, their defensive attitude. Manuel’s ability to read offensive situations was immediately made clear to me. I knew him, but from the first training session I was amazed by his technical mastery and his reading of the game.”

Favre was asked what he made of Pep Guardiola deploying Akanji in such an advanced position that it occasionally looked like he was playing in midfield. “He pushed forwards a lot with me as well, even if we’re talking about different teams,” Favre replied.

“I made him play as a classic central defender in a back four, and on the side of a back three. I also gave him the captain’s armband on some occasions. He’s always been a leader. Was there one particular game that stood out in Favre’s memory? “Against Bayern Munich, 2019.”

“The German Super Cup final, which we won 2-0. He was marking Lewandowski and was impeccable.” He replied. Favre was also asked if he thinks that Inter have secured an upgrade on Pavard with their signing of Akanji. He replied: “We’re talking about two European champions with their club teams.”

“The Frenchman also won a World Cup, but, if I had to choose one, I’d take Akanji: So, yes. Inter have gained. With him on the pitch, Inter now have two tactical weapons.” He continued as the interviewers asked if he was referring to Alessandro Bastoni with that remark.

“Yes, and that’s how Chivu will be able to make the difference. Bastoni and Akanji have the feet of midfielders. Manuel is a computer, then, with the ball at his feet, he always knows what to do and how to serve his strikers. His speciality is to break the opponent’s line with the ball at his feet and create a numerical superiority.”

Finally, will Akanji push Inter towards another Serie A title? “Absolutetly. With him, Inter have strengthened their defence.” He further added. As for Calhanoglu, Galatasaray head coach, Okan Buruk has revealed that his side made ‘another attempt last week’ to sign him from Inter.

He then went on to reveal that it would have cost €40m-€45m to sign the Turkey international this summer as Calhanoglu had been linked with a move away from San Siro at various stages of the summer transfer window and there had been links with a move to his native Turkey.

First with Galatasaray, who were on the lookout for a new central midfielder and Fenerbahce but in the end, Galatasaray struck a deal for Ilkay Gundogan instead, and it now appears unlikely that Calhanoglu leaves Inter before the close of the transfer window in Turkey, which will still be open until September 12.

Speaking in a recent interview with Now Spor, Buruk revealed how close the Turkish league champions were to securing a deal for Inter’s Calhanoglu. “Hakan was a player we seriously wanted,” Buruk said. “He’s a big fan of Galatasaray. He made a big statement about making a sacrifice in the future.”

“We made another attempt last week, but Inter said they weren’t willing to sell him. They said they would do it if we offered a much higher price than normal. We gave it a go.” Buruk went on to reveal that Calhanoglu was prepared to lower his salary demands in order to join, but the negotiations with Inter was where the issue lay.

“Ilkay (Gundogan) sacrificed his salary, and Hakan would have done the same, but his club had very high expectations,” Buruk claimed. “If Inter had sold him to us, we would have had to spend around €40m-€45m. He’s an important player, that’s why a deal for him was difficult for us.” He continued.

“There was another attempt last week. Hakan made sacrifices, but Inter said they didn’t want the transfer to happen. The reason why it didn’t happen is because Inter didn’t want to sell him and I don’t think anything will change.” He further added on the matter.

In a related development, Inter defender, Denzel Dumfries has admitted that he would be ‘interested’ if a ‘professional opportunity’ arose for him in the Premier League while discussing his future during his recent press conference with the Netherlands national team.

The Nerazzurri wing-back is currently away with the Netherlands, and scored the opening goal in his nation’s 1-1 draw with Poland on Thursday night, his second in three matches at international duty and they will be in action again today, lining up against Lithuania in a World Cup qualifier match.

The 29-year-old, speaking at the pre-match press conference, was asked by reporters about his future at club level and whether he has any desire to play in the Premier League before his career comes to an end. Dumfries replied: “The Premier League is a fantastic competition. I think I could also do very well in England.”

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“If there were a professional opportunity, I would certainly be interested. The Premier League is known for its intensity, while Serie A is known for its tactical ability. These are two different approaches to football. The Champions League, however, always offers exciting clashes.” He concluded.

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