Ricardo Alvarez, the Argentine playmaker that took Wesley Sneider's place at Inter-Milan has signed a one-year loan deal costing E1m (about £700,000). The deal carries an option to sign him permanently if Sunderland avoid relegation for a fee of E11m (just less than £8m). Alvarez played for Inter 29 times last season, scoring 4 goals and providing 8 assists. He has also played for Argentina seven times, scoring one goal. Midfield with Rodwell - this doesn't sound bad at all to me.
Inter fan here, i'm a former season ticket holder. I posted on your board last season when you were linked with Osvaldo. Anyway, i'm sorry (on your behalf) to report that he's ****e. We've been trying to offload him for ages and Interista will be rejoicing if this comes off. The plus side for you is this looks like a loan. Accuse me of being a WUM if you want as long as you promise to come back to this thread in May and tell me your thoughts.
It isn't on SAFC board yet. It was reported on Sky Italia around 10 pm last night. Inter have been playing Alvarez on the left wing - and he's far too slow for the position! Much better as CM..
Sunderland have signed Inter Milan's Ricky Alvarez on a season-long loan deal. The clubs have agreed a fee of £1million for the move but could make the deal permanent for £8.5m, assuming Sunderland stay in the Premier League. Alvarez, 26, is a 6ft 2in attacking midfielder and has been capped seven times by Argentina and was part of his country's World Cup squad in Brazil.
Actually forget that, reports in Italy now say the permanent transfer is mandatory if you avoid relegation this season.
Can you shed any light on what you don't rate about him in particular? Don't forget that what might not be good enough for Inter might be perfectly good for a team aiming for mid table in the prem.
United were linked with this guy back in January and I watched him in a game shortly after reading the rumours, seems to have quick feet for a big guy and doesn't seem to dwell on the ball. Didn't do much in the game but I confess I only watched that one match, think it was against Catania and the match ended a bore draw. Basic stuff but it's all I've got, not a huge fan of Italian football.
When you take into account he was in the worst Inter side for a generation that didnt qualify for European football for last season and only scraped in for this season, you'll see there's not much difference between them and a mid-table EPL side. But, he just basically gets everything wrong. That may seem far too generic but I'm being serious, he always chooses the wrong pass and then doesn't successfully make that wrong pass anyway. Every time he releases the ball it's followed by groans. His shots nearly always sail 20 foot over the bar and he is also impossibly weak, an absolute fanny if I can be so blunt. You remember Muntari and how bad you thought he was....? Do you mind me asking why? It's been the top scoring top division in Europe over the past decade so if you like goals it's the place to watch.
No problem with your input mate, but I'm sure that Sunderland fans will give him every chance before coming to there own conclusions..
Well if this bloke is **** then he can go back after his loan. haven't seen the lad play because I don't watch boring Italian footy but I give the lad a chance. He has to be better than Snodgrass tho.
Racist fans, violent fans, slow pace, corruption... I've said Vidic will be in with a shout at being in and around European team of the year simply due to the fact he's playing at a slower pace again now, he'll look great in that league no doubt. A league where Paul Pogba went from a 'promising kid' at United to a £50m player, despite their teams failing miserably in Europe's biggest competition.
Apparently, it's not an option, but a mandatory commitment if we don't go down. (If you belive the rumours.)
What corruption is this you refer to? Of course you couldnt mean Calciopoli which was completely misreported in the UK media as match-fixing despite there not being a single match-fixing allegation or indeed finding related to it? All Juve et al did was something I have seen Mark Hughes and Alex Ferguson do in the UK - say they dont want certain refs to officiate their matches again. Nothing more, nothing less. Or if you're referring to betting scandals - again reported as match fixing in the UK - that saw players bet on matches in which their teams had zero involvement when professional sportspeople betting in italy is illegal. Thousands of football professionals make exactly the same bets every week in the UK, but it's just not illegal here. Slow pace? Hmm, subective that one but as someone who watches 50+ Serie A games a season I'd say that was a lazy myth. Cuadrado wasnt particularly slow paced at the world cup from memory. Indeed I'd argue Fiorentina and Roma played the most exciting, dynamic, attacking football of any club side I saw last season. And why is it Juve's fault if PSG offer £50m for Pogba? Of course neither he nor Vidal would get in Utd's team these days....
I have never heard of that before. If that was the case, would you not just buy him now? This intermediate phase seems pointless unless it has something to do with FFP and maybe deferring movement of money to a later date (I suspect you probably also have another signing lined up)
Oh of course, I wouldnt expect anything else. Plenty of players have been ****e in one country and good in another. For example Coutinho was every bit as terrible for Inter as Alvarez is but he's looked good at Liverpool.
