Inter Milan enjoyed extended periods on the front foot during their Tuesday match away to Juventus.

Although there were the usual shortcomings—they gave the ball away far too cheaply and, but for better finishing from their hosts, would have been punished for an abundance of defensive errors—they succeeded in stifling the Bianconeri’s buildup play. Following Mauro Icardi‘s 64th-minute equaliser, they looked the more likely side to take all three points from the encounter.

Sensing the win was there for the taking, manager Roberto Mancini looked to his bench for the attacker who would drive the Nerazzurri on to victory. The best he could do was introduce Dani Osvaldo into the proceedings.

The 28-year-old’s most notable contribution was attempting to spar with Icardi (he had to be restrained by Fredy Guarin), after which he lashed out at his manager.

Mancini didn’t have the difference maker he needed that night.

He has him now.

On Thursday, Inter Milan acquired Xherdan Shaqiri from Bayern Munich, as per BBC Sport. Initially a loan deal, the signing will become permanent in the summer and, according to Tuttomercatoweb (via Football Italia), will see €15 million pass from the Serie A giants to their Bundesliga counterparts.

Snapped up by Bayern from Basel in 2012, Shaqiri could never quite displace the likes of Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and Thomas Muller at the Allianz Arena. Few players could. But that doesn’t mean the 23-year-old won’t be a roaring success elsewhere, and surely, the personal disappointment of his time in Bavaria will only ensure he becomes just that.

A stocky, powerful attacker with a low centre of gravity, the left-footed midfielder is the sort of player who can burn a full-back down the flanks, cut inside his marker and take a shot from distance or bring the ball into the goalmouth on the dribble.

In other words, he’s exactly the sort of option Mancini would have coveted in Turin, and the former Manchester City manager’s power of persuasion cannot be overestimated when it comes to this transfer.

For one thing, it’s highly unlikely the 50-year-old would have returned to the San Siro last November in the absence of a war chest of some significance. And while club owner Erick Thohir‘s investment to that point had been rather modest, it’s probable the two men targeted the next few transfer markets as their time frame for transforming Inter from Europa League challenger to Scudetto contender.

If the loan signing of Lukas Podolski was the initial splash, Shaqiri‘s arrival is the plunge.

Thohir has signaled he’s willing to enhance Inter’s competitiveness through spending, and Serie A as a whole will be better for it as a result.

 

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