Taremi racing against time to save Inter future
When Iranian striker Mahdi Taremi left Porto as a free agent to join Inter Milan last July, his signing was widely regarded as a bargain for the Serie A giant.
Taremi had spent four glorious seasons with the Portuguese heavyweight, helping the Dragons lift seven domestic trophies – including a league and cup double in the 2021/22 campaign – while he bagged 91 strikes in 182 appearances to become the club’s third all-time top scorer.
With Marcus Thuram granted an extended vacation ahead of the campaign – due to involvement in Euro 2024 – the Iranian talisman capitalized on the Frenchman’s absence by delivering impressive performances during preseason friendlies, which led to many tipping him for a No. 9 role alongside Lautaro Martinez in the starting XI.
Nine months on, however, Taremi already appears to be fighting for his future in the Nerazzurri colors.
Taremi’s contribution for Inter has been limited to just three goals – including two penalties – in 37 games across all competitions, with his last strike coming from the spot against Lecce in Serie A on January 26.
The Iranian had an evening to forget during the 3-0 defeat against city rival Milan in the Coppa Italia semifinal last week and was taken off early in the second half, while he was an unused sub in the 1-0 loss to AS Roma in the league on Sunday.
Italian pundits and media have been quick to cast doubt on whether Taremi is the right fit for Inter, and the club’s recent dip in form has only fueled the somewhat harsh criticism.
“The expectations were high of Taremi for what he had done in the Portuguese league, but he is yet to make an impact [for Inter],” Alessandro Matri, former Milan and Juventus striker and now a commentator for SportMediaset, said of the Iranian after the Milan derby.
“I think he is clumsy in his movements. I’m sorry to say that, but you can really see that he hasn’t fit in,” added Matri.
Italian journalist Davide Stoppini, writing for La Gazzetta dello Sport last Thursday, slammed Inter boss Simone Inzaghi’s decision to give Taremi a starting role against Milan.
“If they still had a chance to change the ending of the story, Taremi and [Albanian midfielder Kristjan] Asllani definitely blew it last night,” Stoppini wrote.
“Inzaghi can only hope that from here until the end of the season, for an inexplicable reason, Taremi changes face. But in reality, his fate is sealed: It will be goodbye in the summer, provided he finds admirers around Europe, who will take on a salary of €3 million net per season (until 2027).
“Taremi is the latest example of a certain type of business that Inter will no longer do in the market: 33 years old in July, a player who is not there in the present but who cannot be relied upon in the future either.”
The writing is already on the wall for Taremi, who has at most seven games – should Inter reach the European final – to save his Nerazzurri career, starting with the Champions League last-four clash at Barcelona tonight.