Ishak Belfodil

[.h.]

if he does, our management are beyond stupid for blowing that on a backup.

i anticipate he'll be an AMC perhaps?

 

[Pajo]

So as I read the deal is 6 mils + Cassano, for him 800k per year. Way better than the first deal. Still dont like to lose Cassano and it might be overpaying, but it's nothing drastic.

 

[JJM]

if he does, our management are beyond stupid for blowing that on a backup.

i anticipate he'll be an AMC perhaps?

no.He is best as a CF...He will have a Cavani role under Walt...

 

[crzdcolombian]

The reason we went for Belfodil over a Muriel is because Parma is willing to play ball with us. We are good friends and often do business together. They want Cassano and Silvestre so it's easier than spending pure cash on Muriel.

Haha I was thinking the same thing. I hadn't really heard about this kid at all this season. I picked him up in FIFA 13 and he turned out to be pretty good but for 10 million for half + Cassano. That right there is valuing him at 25 million euro !!! Then we are giving them Silvestre and Mariga? I mean Jesus cHrist this kid is worth more than Higuian !!!! I know it's to save on wages but seriously this is a butt load of money.

Is the deal for a loan and if we want half it's 10 million or is it 10 million+Cassano+Mariga + Silvestre loan? He only scored 8 goals last season. http://espnfc.com/player/_/id/139672/ishak-belfodil?cc=5901

Um Juve is only offering Fiorentina 15 million euro, 1 co ownership and then 1 player !!! FOR ALL OF Jovetic !! Aresnal is getting Higuain for 22 million and AC Milan/Juve might get Tevez for FREE !!!

- - - Updated - - -

So as I read the deal is 6 mils + Cassano, for him 800k per year. Way better than the first deal. Still dont like to lose Cassano and it might be overpaying, but it's nothing drastic.

Pajo is it 6 million for 100% + Cassano. That could potentially be a great deal. Does this mean no Icardi?

 

[.h.]

no.He is best as a CF...He will have a Cavani role under Walt...

then what is the point of him + icardi + palacio + milito

 

[wera]

no, we def have Icardi

 

[Batman]

That's actually a very fine deal, a bit overpriced tho. As for Cassano, as much as I love him he will finish either this season or the next, dude is very creative but he is just too old, not to mention about his fitness issues. Not against him staying but considering Belfodil's hype, and the fact that he is younger and we'll be saving a lot of money in wages I think it will be a very good deal.

- - - Updated - - -

I've heard he is more of a second striker/winger.

 

[Shark]

Is it now 50 or 100% of Belf?

 

[Michael]

Just a little something something from a FN dude.

===
​

Took no time at all for things to get moving in the mercato after I wrote the last piece (hopefully every time I write one of these, we’ll make a move…that’s how it works right?) Donati sold, Belfodil deal agreed, Silvestre and Cassano leaving, Chivu contract termination? Handanovic full-ownership (and perhaps sale…), Antonelli negotiations, Faraoni sold, Krhin co-ownershp renewed…the news is all-of-a-sudden coming thick and fast, finally, and thankfully! I will try to get to as many of the players we are negotiating for as I can, but including research and revision, these things take about a day to write each, so I’ll do my best to keep up! Without further ado, here’s your latest MPF; Ishak Belfodil.

Ishak Belfodil

Player Profile

Nationality: Algerian
Club: Parma
Age: 21
Born: January/12/1992
Right-footed
Height: 1.94m / 6 ft 3.6 in
Weight: 86kg/189 lbs (yeah…he’s a big boy)
Position: Left Forward/Striker.
Price: 12-20M EUR (Parma frequently changes valuation)
Contract: Parma until 6/30/2016 (Currently negotiating with Inter)
On current national squad?: No (legal issues, then problems with the coach)
Appearances/Goals/Assists for national squad: 0/0/0
Appearances/Goals/Assists in Serie A: 40/9/5
Career Total Appearances/Goals/Assists (All competitions): 51/10/5
Reason For Inter’s Interest

Inter has a very rapidly aging attack at the moment. If Icardi is to take the place of Milito in the coming years, Belfodil would look to be the replacement for Palacio. A striking option who can create chances and set up others as willingly, and adeptly, as he is to score himself. Inter will aim to play with two strikers playing more or less as a central tandem in the upcoming season, instead of just the one central striker we saw implemented (for the most part) in the season past. This means more striking options are necessary. Young, promising strikers are needed at Inter, especially ones that are of high enough calibre to compete for positions with the tried-and-true, yet aging veterans. Insofar, monetary constraints have held the club back from this approach, so finding rotational players for cheap was implemented instead. An attacking option that is all-at-once powerful, technical, strong in the air, and fast, someone able to play as a complete lone-striker, has not been seen at Inter for quite some time. A certain Ibrahimovic, or perhaps Mario Balotelli, may have been the last at Inter to possess all these traits at once. Certain systems call for these kinds of players. At Mazzarri’s Napoli, that player was Edinson Cavani.

One might argue “Inter already has Icardi, why move for another comparable young forward?” There are two key differences between Icardi and Belfodil; Firstly, Icardi is more of a clinical finisher, he doesn’t create as many chances as Belfodil. Secondly, Belfodil has a technical flair aspect in dribbling past defending players that Icardi does not possess. Since Inter is looking to cut it’s squad size, having players that are specialists in more than one skill set are desired. Belfodil can play just as well attacking from wide left, or as a central striker, giving Mazzarri plenty of options.

2012-2013 Season Performance

Belfodil was something of an enigma during the last season. The first half of the season he was on-fire, and the second half of the season, problems with the coach, and a “lack of commitment,” according to Parma coach Roberto Donadoni, made for a a let down of a season-finish for the young Algerian. Scoring three match-winning goals, and two match tying goals, in 33 Serie A appearances last season, he scored eight goals, and gave five assists. So great were his performances in the first half of the season, that on the transfer deadline day in January, Juventus offered 13m euros plus Fabio Quagliarella for Belfodil, but had their offer turned down. In 11 starts as a striker, he scored six goals, and scored one goals in his 11 starts as a left winger. He gave three assists as a striker, and two as a winger. Since he will be used as more of a central striker by Mazzarri, these stats will be important to note. He was used as a substitute on 11 occasions and scored a further goal among those appearances.

The Algerian played most of the first season as a lone striker, and benched Amauri doing so. After a few problems during training and bust ups with Donadoni, he missed a few games in the second half of the season, and when he did play, he was out on the left wing. He played 2010 minutes this season, which means he scored a goal every 251 minutes, but when playing half the season as a winger, that is no issue. When started as a striker, he scored an average of once every 1.8 games, not bad at all. He took 50 shots total, and of those 26 hit the target, 52%. 30% of his shots on target hit the back of the net, which in itself is not too bad either, especially for a 21 year old. One area he will need to work on is the number of fouls he commits, with a total of 63 in the last season, only receiving 18 in return. He scored and assisted in the last match day bowing in his classic Islamic celebration for the last time during the season 2012-2013, finishing his season on a high.

Playing Style

Hold play specialist
Uses strength to hold off challenges
Likes to take players on 1v1 at speed
Enjoys cutting from side to side when facing defenders
Recycles play to the midfielders when under excess pressure
High work rate in the attacking third
Makes frequent diagonal runs from the center out to the left, or from the left into center
Loves to cut in from the left wing to strike and/or link up with central players
You’ve heard it before but, he reminds me of Karim Benzema…not a bad thing at all
Takes the back post frequently in crossing/set piece situations, and is tall enough to either stay there and challenge a header, or make a near post run to redirect the ball across the face of goal
With his upper body stationary, he can send a defender one way or the other by playing with the ball, Zlatan-style
Checks into midfield frequently to get the ball, drawing defenders out, and attacking from deep with speed

Pros

Impact player
An individual, not scared to show his full array of abilities
He is young, 21 years old, plenty of years ahead of him
Was at Lyon before Bologna and Parma, so he will know the pressures of being at a top club
Has the ability to challenge for a starting spot, keeping the veterans on their toes
Tall enough to be an aerial threat, yet has the balance to skip past players as well
Knows where to be, great attacking positioning, poacher-like in the box

Cons

Ego problems
Clumsy in 50/50 challenges, fouling often
His ego has caused him problems with coaches in the past

My Assessment?

I like him. He’s got an element we have lacked for quite some time, physicality up front. But he is no blundering cumbersome behemoth either, he can wreak havoc on defenses using cuts, chops, and quick turns. He’s very positive on the ball, and wants to take players on…we do not have many players like that, and we’ve been missing them for quite some time. Sure, he has ego problems, but some of our absolute greatest players have as well, and were world-beaters.

Legendary Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough was revolutionary in the fact that he would look for players that had ability, but had personality shortcomings, because he knew those could be worked out. He would get players that had problems with coaches, were left out of their squads, had emotional troubles, and get them for cheap. He would work on them with psychologists, therapists, and friends, and realize their potential. Some players are born with a certain potential for talent, immaturity can always be grown out of, a lack of potential…cannot. With a manager like Walter Mazzarri, something of an understanding disciplinarian, I really do believe Belfodil can reach his potential. Remember the best days of bad-boy Antonio Cassano? Remember who his manager was? Exactly. Mazzarri knows how to get the best out of frustrating players, and that is something we have lacked in a coach since Jose Mourinho. That is what makes the greatest managers, realizing potential, and taking risks on them with logical judgement.

I believe given the fact that we do have a manager with those aspects, Belfodil can become a top class player. He reminds me, in flashes, of Balotelli, of Ibrahimovic. He has a hunger for making things happen, how to make them happen, is where Mazzarri will come in the picture. His price may or may not be high, and the only person deciding that, is Ishak himself. If he wants, he can be a 20m euro player, if he lets his ego gets in the way, average. We are taking a risk on a young player with massive potential, and that in itself is something to be happy about as Interisti. We are only technically paying 2m for him given the player trades and wage savings we’ll be making in the deal, and for the time being, that is a great investment, even if for half of his rights.

We are getting a player that can play on the wing of an attacking trident, as a support striker, or as a lone-striker, adept in each position. That is a blessing. He is 21 years-old, has had some shortcomings, but the same kind of shortcomings that Mario Balotelli, Antonio Cassano, and Wayne Rooney have had. He has also shown that against some of the best teams in the world, he can be very dangerous. If we are to live in a better world, we must embrace the good in people, and help erase the flaws. If we are to create a better Inter, we must do the same. Yes, we are losing Cassano for a year, possibly forever, but Antonio wants play time. He wants to play in the World Cup, he would not get much play time were he to stay at Inter next year. Perhaps looking to that tournament, and with less pressure at club level, he can get back into full match fitness, and return to Inter a complete player. We will just have to see, this move has Mazzarri’s blessing, so we must trust a coach of his calibre in this. I believe this is a positive deal if it does indeed go through, and that we may just have a great player on our hands. You know that one player…oh, Edinson Cavani…yeah, he had 13 goals with Palermo the season before his move to Napoli, and I remember many Inter fans saying “Why should we get him, he’s not that good, he only scored 13 goals!” Well, then-Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri saw more than the numbers, and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

[interista4]

Grande Michael

 

[Nero Indigo]

Fucking Michael! Rallying fans up and shit! This article should be at the climax of a movie Solid stuff

 

[wera]

dammit, the last part with Cavani has me hyped more than I should be

 

[Nerazzurro]

Just a little something something from a FN dude.

===
​

Took no time at all for things to get moving in the mercato after I wrote the last piece (hopefully every time I write one of these, we’ll make a move…that’s how it works right?) Donati sold, Belfodil deal agreed, Silvestre and Cassano leaving, Chivu contract termination? Handanovic full-ownership (and perhaps sale…), Antonelli negotiations, Faraoni sold, Krhin co-ownershp renewed…the news is all-of-a-sudden coming thick and fast, finally, and thankfully! I will try to get to as many of the players we are negotiating for as I can, but including research and revision, these things take about a day to write each, so I’ll do my best to keep up! Without further ado, here’s your latest MPF; Ishak Belfodil.

Ishak Belfodil

Player Profile

Nationality: Algerian
Club: Parma
Age: 21
Born: January/12/1992
Right-footed
Height: 1.94m / 6 ft 3.6 in
Weight: 86kg/189 lbs (yeah…he’s a big boy)
Position: Left Forward/Striker.
Price: 12-20M EUR (Parma frequently changes valuation)
Contract: Parma until 6/30/2016 (Currently negotiating with Inter)
On current national squad?: No (legal issues, then problems with the coach)
Appearances/Goals/Assists for national squad: 0/0/0
Appearances/Goals/Assists in Serie A: 40/9/5
Career Total Appearances/Goals/Assists (All competitions): 51/10/5
Reason For Inter’s Interest

Inter has a very rapidly aging attack at the moment. If Icardi is to take the place of Milito in the coming years, Belfodil would look to be the replacement for Palacio. A striking option who can create chances and set up others as willingly, and adeptly, as he is to score himself. Inter will aim to play with two strikers playing more or less as a central tandem in the upcoming season, instead of just the one central striker we saw implemented (for the most part) in the season past. This means more striking options are necessary. Young, promising strikers are needed at Inter, especially ones that are of high enough calibre to compete for positions with the tried-and-true, yet aging veterans. Insofar, monetary constraints have held the club back from this approach, so finding rotational players for cheap was implemented instead. An attacking option that is all-at-once powerful, technical, strong in the air, and fast, someone able to play as a complete lone-striker, has not been seen at Inter for quite some time. A certain Ibrahimovic, or perhaps Mario Balotelli, may have been the last at Inter to possess all these traits at once. Certain systems call for these kinds of players. At Mazzarri’s Napoli, that player was Edinson Cavani.

One might argue “Inter already has Icardi, why move for another comparable young forward?” There are two key differences between Icardi and Belfodil; Firstly, Icardi is more of a clinical finisher, he doesn’t create as many chances as Belfodil. Secondly, Belfodil has a technical flair aspect in dribbling past defending players that Icardi does not possess. Since Inter is looking to cut it’s squad size, having players that are specialists in more than one skill set are desired. Belfodil can play just as well attacking from wide left, or as a central striker, giving Mazzarri plenty of options.

2012-2013 Season Performance

Belfodil was something of an enigma during the last season. The first half of the season he was on-fire, and the second half of the season, problems with the coach, and a “lack of commitment,” according to Parma coach Roberto Donadoni, made for a a let down of a season-finish for the young Algerian. Scoring three match-winning goals, and two match tying goals, in 33 Serie A appearances last season, he scored eight goals, and gave five assists. So great were his performances in the first half of the season, that on the transfer deadline day in January, Juventus offered 13m euros plus Fabio Quagliarella for Belfodil, but had their offer turned down. In 11 starts as a striker, he scored six goals, and scored two goals in his 11 starts as a left winger. He gave three assists as a striker, and two as a winger. Since he will be used as more of a central striker by Mazzarri, these stats will be important to note. He was used as a substitute on 11 occasions and scored a further goal among those appearances.

The Algerian played most of the first season as a lone striker, and benched Amauri doing so. After a few problems during training and bust ups with Donadoni, he missed a few games in the second half of the season, and when he did play, he was out on the left wing. He played 2010 minutes this season, which means he scored a goal every 251 minutes, but when playing half the season as a winger, that is no issue. When started as a striker, he scored an average of once every 1.8 games, not bad at all. He took 50 shots total, and of those 26 hit the target, 52%. 30% of his shots on target hit the back of the net, which in itself is not too bad either, especially for a 21 year old. One area he will need to work on is the number of fouls he commits, with a total of 63 in the last season, only receiving 18 in return. He scored and assisted in the last match day bowing in his classic Islamic celebration for the last time during the season 2012-2013, finishing his season on a high.

Playing Style

Hold play specialist
Uses strength to hold off challenges
Likes to take players on 1v1 at speed
Enjoys cutting from side to side when facing defenders
Recycles play to the midfielders when under excess pressure
High work rate in the attacking third
Makes frequent diagonal runs from the center out to the left, or from the left into center
Loves to cut in from the left wing to strike and/or link up with central players
You’ve heard it before but, he reminds me of Karim Benzema…not a bad thing at all
Takes the back post frequently in crossing/set piece situations, and is tall enough to either stay there and challenge a header, or make a near post run to redirect the ball across the face of goal
With his upper body stationary, he can send a defender one way or the other by playing with the ball, Zlatan-style
Checks into midfield frequently to get the ball, drawing defenders out, and attacking from deep with speed

Pros

Impact player
An individual, not scared to show his full array of abilities
He is young, 21 years old, plenty of years ahead of him
Was at Lyon before Bologna and Parma, so he will know the pressures of being at a top club
Has the ability to challenge for a starting spot, keeping the veterans on their toes
Tall enough to be an aerial threat, yet has the balance to skip past players as well
Knows where to be, great attacking positioning, poacher-like in the box

Cons

Ego problems
Clumsy in 50/50 challenges, fouling often
His ego has caused him problems with coaches in the past

My Assessment?

I like him. He’s got an element we have lacked for quite some time, physicality up front. But he is no blundering cumbersome behemoth either, he can wreak havoc on defenses using cuts, chops, and quick turns. He’s very positive on the ball, and wants to take players on…we do not have many players like that, and we’ve been missing them for quite some time. Sure, he has ego problems, but some of our absolute greatest players have as well, and were world-beaters.

Legendary Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough was revolutionary in the fact that he would look for players that had ability, but had personality shortcomings, because he knew those could be worked out. He would get players that had problems with coaches, were left out of their squads, had emotional troubles, and get them for cheap. He would work on them with psychologists, therapists, and friends, and realize their potential. Some players are born with a certain potential for talent, immaturity can always be grown out of, a lack of potential…cannot. With a manager like Walter Mazzarri, something of an understanding disciplinarian, I really do believe Belfodil can reach his potential. Remember the best days of bad-boy Antonio Cassano? Remember who his manager was? Exactly. Mazzarri knows how to get the best out of frustrating players, and that is something we have lacked in a coach since Jose Mourinho. That is what makes the greatest managers, realizing potential, and taking risks on them with logical judgement.

I believe given the fact that we do have a manager with those aspects, Belfodil can become a top class player. He reminds me, in flashes, of Balotelli, of Ibrahimovic. He has a hunger for making things happen, how to make them happen, is where Mazzarri will come in the picture. His price may or may not be high, and the only person deciding that, is Ishak himself. If he wants, he can be a 20m euro player, if he lets his ego gets in the way, average. We are taking a risk on a young player with massive potential, and that in itself is something to be happy about as Interisti. We are only technically paying 2m for him given the player trades and wage savings we’ll be making in the deal, and for the time being, that is a great investment, even if for half of his rights.

We are getting a player that can play on the wing of an attacking trident, as a support striker, or as a lone-striker, adept in each position. That is a blessing. He is 21 years-old, has had some shortcomings, but the same kind of shortcomings that Mario Balotelli, Antonio Cassano, and Wayne Rooney have had. He has also shown that against some of the best teams in the world, he can be very dangerous. If we are to live in a better world, we must embrace the good in people, and help erase the flaws. If we are to create a better Inter, we must do the same. Yes, we are losing Cassano for a year, possibly forever, but Antonio wants play time. He wants to play in the World Cup, he would not get much play time were he to stay at Inter next year. Perhaps looking to that tournament, and with less pressure at club level, he can get back into full match fitness, and return to Inter a complete player. We will just have to see, this move has Mazzarri’s blessing, so we must trust a coach of his calibre in this. I believe this is a positive deal if it does indeed go through, and that we may just have a great player on our hands. You know that one player…oh, Edinson Cavani…yeah, he had 10 goals with Palermo the season before his move to Napoli, and I remember many Inter fans saying “Why should we get him, he’s not that good, he only scored 10 goals!” Well, then-Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri saw more than the numbers, and the rest, as they say, is history.

That's by Mahdi, right?

 

[Michael]

SI.

 

[Cro Nerazzurro]

I must admit I didnt follow seria a last season like I did before. with that said, I havent seen Belfodil a lot.
Still, I dont mind it.

He offers us something we lack, something more, is young and is something we need to have more options. Could we use that money and buy someone with similar qualities? Probably yes. But could this turn out to be bargain? Again, yes.


I really like a lot of rumors and talks around Inter these days. Its time to clear out some names, bring some talent in, have a team where everybody will be used, and will know his job.

 

[Minardista]

Fuck Michael, here was me about to make the Cavani argument and you beat me to it.

Now I have nothing constructive to add except, if FIF says we should stay the fuck away from Belfodil, let's buy the fucker blivious:

 

[wambam]

I can see him and Palacio making a really (really really) good duo. I'm actually very excited about him, the more I learn about the guy, the better it all gets in my head.

 

[Shaun]

This deal is a lot better than people originally thought based on the opinions of people who watched this kid a lot it seems. Having a mobile striker with technical ability who is almost 2 meters tall alone is extremely rare. It's also quite reassuring that other teams have been after him at various points. Apparently Liverpool might have offered 10m for him at one stage too.

 

[crzdcolombian]

This deal is a lot better than people originally thought based on the opinions of people who watched this kid a lot it seems. Having a mobile striker with technical ability who is almost 2 meters tall alone is extremely rare. It's also quite reassuring that other teams have been after him at various points. Apparently Liverpool might have offered 10m for him at one stage too.

didn't liverpool pay 40 million for that guy Carrol that they just sold for 12 million like 2 years later haha.... Lets not compare ourselves to them. They are just as shittly run. Almost as bad as Roma? Aren't both of them owned by the same people(the red socks)?

 

[I4E]

We will just have to see, this move has Mazzarri’s blessing, so we must trust a coach of his calibre in this. I believe this is a positive deal if it does indeed go through, and that we may just have a great player on our hands. You know that one player…oh, Edinson Cavani…yeah, he had 13 goals with Palermo the season before his move to Napoli, and I remember many Inter fans saying “Why should we get him, he’s not that good, he only scored 13 goals!” Well, then-Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri saw more than the numbers, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Gold :thumbsup: