Those of you that read my article and ratings about the recent match between Liverpool and Manchester City will be aware of how frustrated I get with Aleksandar Kolarov, and it is with a mixture of confusion and happiness that I pass on this rumour today!
According to the Daily Mail Italian giants Inter Milan are ready to launch a move to take him to back to Italy, something in itself that is interesting enough but it is the figures involved that are particularly intriguing, read on!
Kolarov had a pretty great time playing in Serie A for Lazio, during his three seasons with the club he built up a good reputation for being one of the best attacking fullbacks in the league. He soon became pretty highly sought after, and was known for his wicked free kicks and corner delivery as well as his rocket like strike. So much was thought of the player that when Manchester City moved for the player last Summer they faced competition from Jose Mourinho and Real Madrid.
It is fair to say however that his time in England has not exactly been what he and City fans hoped for. The defensive side of his game has not been the best, and he has taken time to adjust. His attacking raids have also not been particularly awe inspiring, he is a willing runner, but his lack of pace is shown up in the Premier League. He has a tendency to lose the ball high up the pitch and then is not able to make up the ground quick enough to get back. Frustratingly in recent weeks I think there has been a slight improvement, but all that went out of the window with Monday’s visit to Anfield.
Roberto Mancini paid £16million for the fullback and sadly it doesn’t look like money well spent at this point, with the left side of the teams defense looking incredibly tough to fill. It is therefore strange to me that according to the Daily Mail Inter are willing to offer £25million for the defender…not sure I buy into this one too much.
The newspaper points out that he is incredibly highly regarded in Italy and that is why they are prepared to offer so much. City turning a £9million profit however seems highly unlikely in my mind.
If you take the finances out of the equation, I find it incredibly frustrating to think about moving the player on so quickly. I recently wrote about Jerome Boateng and suggested he was given one more season to prove his worth and to adapt, and I think it would only be fair to do the same with Kolarov, but if a bid were to come in over the £20million mark, I suppose the Eastlands hierarchy would be crazy to not take it.
For more of my thoughts on the latest transfer rumours, follow me on twitter @soccercityjoe!
