Transfer Story
Inter Milan centre-back Jeison Murillo has been linked with a move to newly promoted Premier League side Newcastle United. Latest reports suggest that Rafa Benitez is interested in the centre-back and wants to strengthen his back line with the inclusion of the Columbian.
After being relegated to the second tier, Newcastle have made a sensational return to the top flight and it seems the Spaniard is leaving no stone unturned in order to ensure a successful Premier League campaign and do much more than surviving the drop, which will be the primary target.
Not afraid of going forward into the heart of opponent’s half, the defender has impressed many with his stop-and-switch playing technique. Having superb tactical awareness and composure, the 24-year old has the ability to thwart early attacks and passes into the box.
The Nerazzurri have valued the centre-half at £10.5m with his present contract due to expire in 2020.
Let’s take a look at the stats of the youngster…
Player stats and facts
The ex-Granada man joined Inter Milan in the summer of 2015. But this past season has seen a concoction of performances from the Columbian. Despite some promising displays, he has struggled to maintain consistency, which meant he was benched for quite a few games.
- The 24-year old’s inconsistency handed him only 23 first team starts in his 27 appearances for the club.
- He accumulated 6 yellow cards in those games.
- The Inter man has a more than healthy pass success rate of 88% but has only managed to provide 1 key pass despite his style.
- Standing at almost 6’2″ the defender is a threat in set pieces.
- The ex-Granada man has made a total of 50 interceptions for the Serie A club, which goes to illustrate the player’s immaculate vision and technical awareness when it comes to defending.
- The youngster has won an astounding 65 of 113 aerial duels in the League (58%), a remarkable feat one must admit and also has a dribble success rate of 71%. (Stats via Whoscored)
It is no doubt the player has the ability and quality to compete at the top but his lack of concentration and over-aggressiveness has sometimes let him down this season.
What’ll he bring to the club?
Being a centre-half and a young one at that, it is common to commit mistakes and fall prey to intelligent forwards while defending. But the defender has grown and developed and is a much better player at Inter Milan than he was at Granada.
Seeing the defender, many might remember Sergio Ramos who was also an aggressive, attack-minded and liked to defend on the front foot. He was often deployed as a right-back before becoming a popular choice at centre-back. Of course, it’s still too early to be making comparisons as it’ll only put more pressure on the Colombian.
But the point is, under able guidance and approach at the Los Blancos, Ramos turned it around, establishing himself as a dominant figure in both domestic and international platform.
Murillo might also grow and develop under Rafa and with his potential stated above it is no doubt he would add some pace, dynamism and creativity at the back.
Worth the money?
Valued at £10.5m according to reports, it seems like a buy too good to refuse for the Rafa. Although he has had an inconsistent spell at Inter, it is a risk that Rafa must take.
Seeing the quality and potential the Columbian possesses, the former Madrid boss would be keen to extract the best out of him.