Inter Milan's Loss Could Be Tottenham Hotspur's Gain As Clubs Battle Over Rafinha

Inter Milan's Loss Could Be Tottenham Hotspur's Gain As Clubs Battle Over Rafinha
19:05, 12 Jun 2018

In late January, Inter were struggling. A 5-0 rout in early December had seen them move to the top of the Serie A table, only for a scoreless stalemate at Juventus Stadium to mark the beginning of a desperately poor run of results. Losses to Udinese and Sassuolo followed immediately after that trip to Turin, with the Nerazzurri then held to five consecutive draws which pushed them back down to fifth place.

At the same time, Barcelona midfielder Rafinha was winning his personal battle with injuries, finally ready to return to action after overcoming ACL and meniscus issues that had restricted him to just 29 appearances over the previous 18 months. The Catalan giants had moved on in his absence however, making it clear he would find very little room following a number of high profile acquisitions before allowing him to move out on loan.

“Leaving the club you’ve been in since the age of 13 is not simple, but I am very happy to be at Inter, he told Mediaset Premium shortly after a deal to join the Nerazzurri was agreed. “I’m super motivated and can’t wait to get started. It took longer than expected to recover from my injury, but it’s behind me now. I am eager to get back to my best.”

That lack of fitness saw Rafinha’s initial outings limited to substitute appearances, but he slowly began to rediscover his form and became increasingly influential. Credited with an assist for a one-two with Yann Karamoh against Bologna, his first four starts would see Inter win games against Benevento, Sampdoria and Hellas Verona by an aggregate score of 10-0 and secure a 0-0 draw against Napoli.

Fielded in the middle of an attacking trident in Luciano Spalletti’s 4-2-3-1 formation, his improving performances buoyed the team and as he grew in confidence, their results mirrored his rise. Rafinha’s last six outings of 2017/18 yielded two goals, two assists and four victories, a return which eventually proved enough to clinch fourth place and with it secure a return to Champions League football for Inter.

The club had not qualified for UEFA’s elite competition since 2012, and doing so this time around owed much to the 25-year-old midfielder. Making 17 appearances, he led Inter in terms of successful take-ons (3.5) fouls drawn (1.6) while trailing Marcelo Brozovic in terms of chances created, making 2.5 per game in comparison to the Croatian’s 2.9. Rafinha ranked fifth with 62.9 passes per 90 minutes, connecting with 90% of those attempts and played a major role in their pressing style, averaging 1.2 tackles and 0.6 interceptions per 90 minutes.

Those statistics, combined with the lift he gave the team and the clear impact he had on their performances unquestionably made him – along with defender Milan Skriniar and striker Mauro Icardi – one of Inter’s most important players. Absolutely crucial to their fourth-place finish, it seemed as if paying the €35 million option they had agreed as part of the loan deal was little more than a foregone conclusion, only for Inter to let the deadline for doing so pass.

Already right up against Financial Fair Play regulations, it seems the Nerazzurri will need to wait until next month before spending any money and may still need to make some profitable sales before that. Various reports in Spain insist that Barcelona are “furious” at this turn of events, something which cannot have come as a surprise to Inter and perhaps with better communication they could have secured an extension on the deal.

Now, a player who was central to their success appears lost despite professing a desire to make the move permanent. “I’m playing, and that’s important because it allows me to grow and find the right rhythm to reach top condition,” Rafinha told Premium Sport back in April. “I’ve been confident from the first day. Inter is a great team, I’m learning Italian and I want to stay here. I wanted Inter right away, I feel at home here and I’m happy.”

Yet he may now need to find somewhere else to play, with La Gazzetta dello Sport believing Tottenham could make a bid for him in the next few days. Italy’s pink paper reports that Rafinha’s father and agent have been trying to find a resolution that could yet see him return as an Inter player next term, but the Nerazzurri’s loss could soon be Mauricio Pochettino’s gain.

x
Suggested Searches:
The Sportsman
Manchester United
Liverpool
Manchester City
Premier League
Sportsman HQ
72-76 Cross St
Manchester M2 4JG
We will not ask you to provide any personal information when using The Sportsman website. You may see advertisement banners on the site, and if you choose to visit those websites, you will accept the terms and conditions and privacy policy applicable to those websites. The link below directs you to our Group Privacy Policy, and our Data Protection Officer can be contacted by email at: [email protected]

All original material is Copyright © 2019 by The Sportsman Communications Ltd.
Other material is copyright their respective owners.