Inter Milan signing Colombian Granada centre-back Jeison Murillo, 22, on a pre-contract agreement is peculiar considering his circumstances.

It prompts you to theorise the motives behind Inter Milan locking Murillo down as a summer transfer window signing.

 

State of Affairs

Despite being on the books of Granada—and in theory, Udinese—Murillo has been talking about Inter Milan with unrestrained enthusiasm.

“I thank God for this opportunity. … The plan is for me to stay at Granada until the end of the season and then make the move to Inter Milan,” Murillo said, per Radio Caracol (h/t Stefan Coerts at Goal). “Both clubs have agreed terms…this is a dream come true.”

Context: Murillo has been pushing for a major transfer since last November.

“I want to continue to grow as a person and a player to open the doors to a bigger club,” Murillo said, per AS (h/t Football Espana). “You should never settle for what you have but have the ambition for much more.”

It is not the first time a Serie A club has bet on an unfancied La Liga defender:

• Victor Ruiz | Espanyol → Napoli: €8.5/£6.1 million (21 years old; 2011).
• Jeison Murillo | Granada → Inter Milan: €8/£5.9 million (22 years old; 2015).
• Chico Flores | Almeria → Genoa: €5/£3.6 million (23 years old; 2010).

If you are to compare Inter Milan signing Murillo to Napoli’s acquisition of Ruiz and Chico going to Genoa, two words should come to mind: calculated gambles.

Ruiz, at the time a Spain youth international, averaged 3.1 interceptions per game in his final La Liga season for Espanyol (2010-11) and had been improving under the tutelage of then-Espanyol manager Mauricio Pochettino.

“When I saw [Pochettino] as a player, he was frightening,” Ruiz said, per Sid Lowe at the Guardian. “But in person he is the exact opposite.”

Lost in the shuffle behind Hugo Campagnaro, Paolo Cannavaro and Salvatore Aronica, Ruiz’s Serie A stint was forgettable, short and unspectacular.

Chico, a fiery, passionate and talented defender, possessed the attributes that suggested he could transition into an elite centre-back. 

“I have no personal problem with Chico, on the contrary—we swapped shirts afterward, but in a football sense I did not like it,” Xavi said, per Jesus Carrillo at FCBarcelona.cat. “It was without doubt one of the most uncomfortable [games I have] experienced in the last 10 or 12 years on the pitch.”

Gaining infamy for irrepressibly marking Xavi out of a game, Chico was expected to dominate lesser players.

Chico started seven games and averaged 45.4 minutes in his one and only Serie A season for Genoa (2010-11).

 

Is Murillo Value For Money?

The elephant in the room is the fee involved, which Murillo has dodged.

“I don’t wish to speak about the numbers [of the deal], as that something between the two clubs,” Murillo said, per Heath Chesters at Inside Spanish Football. “Starting from July, my playing rights will then become the property of Inter Milan.”

Granada president Quique Pina revealed Murillo’s salary will increase more than threefold.

“[Murillo] will receive €1 million/£723,883 a year for five seasons with Inter Milan,” Pina said, per Ideal (h/t Football Italia). “That’s quite a lot more than the €300,000/£217,165 he was making with us this season.”

Inter Milan have invested €8/£5.9 million in Murillo, per Alfredo Pedulla at Sportitalia (h/t Claudio Colla at Tuttomercatoweb.com), which is the same fee recorded by Transfermarkt.

€8/£5.9 million? Seriously?

It is important you understand Inter Milan’s current centre-back situation.

• Andrea Ranocchia: How can he command his defence if he is one of the worst players at Inter Milan? It is the equivalent of Per Mertesacker—a liability in Arsenal‘s defence, giving instructions to his teammates. Ranocchia epitomises the expression: “Do as I say, not as I do.”
• Hugo Campagnaro: A keep-getting-them-checks guy. Inter Milan should give a prospect from the Primavera a chance instead of wasting minutes on Campagnaro.
• Juan Jesus: A prolific ball-winner (3.2 tackles, 2.6 interceptions per game), though he is hot and cold. The “he is still young” excuse is close to its expiration date as he is now 23.
• Marco Andreolli: Not a household name. Andreolli a conservative and reactive defender.
• Nemanja Vidic: Unconvincing and has spent portions of the season on the bench. Still has time to turn around his campaign.

This is why there are 11 Serie A clubs with better defences than Inter Milan.

Murillo, a 6’0″, 165-pound defender, has excellent, Ivan Cordoba-like recovery speed.

Outstanding in the air and a low-risk tackler (0.9 fouls per game), Murillo has high upside.

But this has been his worst season in Europe. Murillo is inconsistent and his concentration levels have noticeably declined:

• Passes per game has dropped from 32.8 (2013-14) to 27.8 (2014-15).
• Pass-accuracy percentage has dipped from 85.2 (2013-14) to 79.7 (2014-15).
• Careless in possession and was stripped off the ball by Barcelona forward Lionel Messi, who capitalised in a 6-0 win over Granada.
• Turned over the ball to Real Madrid right-back Daniel Carvajal, whose pass to Karim Benzema enabled the Frenchman to tee up Cristiano Ronaldo for a goal in a 4-0 win over Granada.

Form aside, there are fitness concerns with Murillo, whose all-action playing style, makes him susceptible to injuries.

Murillo has only played 56 percent of this La Liga season (his last league game was December 14, 2014), and his recovery time has been a talking point for Granada manager Abel Resino.

“The problem [Murillo] has now is getting back to the peak of his fitness,” Resino said, per Heath Chesters at Inside Spanish Football. “[However], he’s recovered well from [previous injuries].”

Inter Milan signing Murillo, who has been inconsistent and injured, on a pre-contract for around €8/£5.9 million is not an economically efficient deal. 

Murillo will be a project akin to Juan Jesus—you see elite potential, but can he perform on a consistent basis?

 

+allanjiang.

When not specified, statistics via WhoScored.com. 

from Bleacher Report – Front Page http://ift.tt/1H66oKt
via IFTTT http://ift.tt/eA8V8J