7M - Icardi, where are you going?

Posted Friday, December 30, 2016 by 7M Sport

Mauro Icardi, he is the incumbent captain of Inter Milan. More importantly, he is the absolute offensive core in Giuseppe Meazza. The Argentine international already scored 14 league goals this season, which puts him atop of the Serie A scorers list, and produced 5 assists. If you look closely, you may find a staggering 69% of Inter's league goals so far were generated from their talisman! No one can argue that Icardi is not the linchpin of this former Serie A and Champions League winner squad.

However, since Icardi's arrival in 2013, he accompanied Inter for four fluctuant years. Walter Mazzarri, Roberto Mancini, Frank de Boer and now Stefano Pioli, the Inter hotshot served under four coaches in four years. As the Nerazzurri struggling to clinch their glories, their bumpy ride in recent years seems to reflect on Icardi's erratic personality.

Covered himself with colorful tattoos, people can instantly know that Icardi is definitely not an old-school number nine. Apart from his on-and-off brawls with former team-mate Maxi Lopez over Wanda Nara, who is Icardi's wife and agent, and she is Lopez's ex-wife, Icardi's eccentrics led him to bigger trouble in this year.

The striker has been involved in heated exchanges with the club's infamous 'Curva Nord' ultra fans since the release of his autobiography. Although he has taken steps to cool the feud between himself and the supporters, he almost got stripped of the captaincy due to this instance.

All these drama aside, Icardi is still the most prolific striker in his team. He even penned a new three-year deal, despite Arsenal's summer endeavor. However, we cannot expect him to become his compatriot Javier Zanetti who played most of his career for Internazionale from 1995 to 2014. There is only one Il Capitano in this club, unless Icardi is able to break the record for the highest all-time appearances by a non-Italian born player for an Italian club, which is a tally of 858 official matches. In today's footballing world, this would be a mad talk. Moreover, who can conclude that Icardi will not stir any bickering in the future? Inter's setback in Europa League and Serie A will likely lead to a new round of transfer speculation too, it wouldn't be a surprise if this time, a January move became a reality.

So, Icardi, where are you going? We may put up some guesses.

Arsenal

Arsenal have already failed in their attempts to land Jamie Vardy and Alexandre Lacazette this summer. Later, they lost the contest against Inter for Icardi as well. Nonetheless, Arsenal are the newest emergence in possible Icardi move and presumably the most ardent one.

The Gunners value Icardi's finishing ability. The Inter attacker is lethal in front of goal, capable of dispatching half-chances with his right and left foot or head, which shows his versatility. On the other hand, there is often a feeling that Icardi can get disconnected from his midfielders unless he is fed chances from more creative team-mates. With the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, he will forget this kind of problem once and for all.

Since Dennis Bergkamp and Thierry Henry, the London side has been struggling in center forward position. Olivier Giroud is good, Theo Walcott is solid, but you cannot say the sky is the limit for them anymore. Although Alexis Sanchez has been amazing this season when he played the center role, he can be more helpful for the squad if he is a creative player, not the finisher.

All in all, Arsenal are still in search for a young and reliable striker. If Arsene Wenger decides to open his pocket more in one day, Icardi's move to Emirate Stadium would be beneficial for both parties, except for the rebuilding Inter Milan.

Chelsea

Except for the most committed suitor Arsenal, Chelsea also sparkled some interest for Icardi in the summer.

Unlike Arsenal who have been lacking a No.1 goal-scorer over the last few years, their London rivals have the unstoppable Diego Costa. However, the Blues never cease to sign young talent, not to mention that they always wants to lure Everton striker Romelu Lukaku back in the pack.

Chelsea are actively looking to strengthen their attacking options with summer signing Michy Batshauyi failing to impress. Antonio Conte surely wants to end the Premier League champions suspension earlier by extending their lead on the table. Therefore he will not allow any slow-pacers to halt their campaign.

Icardi has been accused of being a passenger in the defensive phase. And if the Inter talisman becomes a Chelsea member under Conte's lead, he has to be willing to sit on the opposition's defensive midfielder when required. Still, it is a long shot for him to stride on the Stamford Bridge.

7M - Icardi, where are you going?

Liverpool

Icardi's another long-time England suitors are Liverpool. The Reds had a ￡22.7million bid for him rejected before. However, Icardi himself is very fond of the charismatic Jurgen Klopp.

This season, Liverpool are the best offensive team in Premier League with 45 goals so far. Next up are Manchester City and Arsenal with 39 goals. But there is one thing we cannot overlook - only one Liverpool striker is in the top 20 list. It is true that the Reds have many goal-scoring players, but their front line has been troubled by injuries. Besides, Daniel Sturridge is very likely to leave Klopp's squad soon. The German cannot put all of his trust upon Firmino and Divock Origi, one is unstable and another is still too young. Thus Icardi would be a perfect addition for their up front line.

Icardi is a true number nine who frequently finding spaces in crowded zones or losing his markers to create just enough room to get a shot. As a great hitman in the penalty area, he is a natural talent for scoring goals. Icardi definitely has all the characteristics of a remarkable Liverpool striker.

Personally speaking, we may hardly see Icardi leaves the Italian giants in the January transfer window. But there are other platforms that enable him to take bigger steps. So let's wait and see which club would be Icardi's next stop.

(7M/Russell)