Curtis Jones was a target for Serie A giants Inter Milan back in January.
The Nerazzurri had pushed to sign the England international at the turn of the year to boost their title chances. Ultimately, it didn’t make much of a difference. Inter won the Scudetto at a canter, finishing 11 points clear of second-place Napoli. They added the Coppa Italia for good measure.
Even so, as Inter sought to maintain their refresh, they needed a midfielder who was young enough to continue to develop but had the experience to bridge the gap between young and old. Jones fits the bill perfectly. Even at just 25 years of age, he’s an old head for Liverpool.
In this article, we’ll cover:
Why do Inter want Jones?
The midfielder managed 34 league appearances last season, albeit 18 of which were from the outset. The previous Premier League campaign, Jones he featured 33 times. 19 of those were starts. Even so, Jones was called upon frequently by Arne Slot in his final season at the Anfield helm.
Now surplus to requirements, he’ll bolster an Inter midfield that is starting to show its age. Hakan Calhanoglu turned 32 in February. Piotr Zielinski did so in May. Henrikh Mkhitaryan is 37 now. The Italian giants needed an injection of youth in a key area. Petar Sucic brings the exuberance in the middle of the park.
So, too, does Aleksandar Stankovic. And with Davide Frattesi shown the San Siro exit, there’s an extra spot for Jones in Christian Chivu’s favoured 3-5-2 setup. The Romanian may be stacked with midfield options heading into the new campaign. However, Jones will swap Merseyside for Milan for regular game time.
Where will Jones fit in under Chivu?
Indeed, Jones is expected to occupy the left side of the midfield trio under Chivu. Ball-playing maestro Calhanoglu will sit between both the Englishman and Italian star Nicolo Barella, who’ll star on the right. The reasoning behind Inter’s long-standing interest in Inter is sound.
Chivu demands his two midfielders either side of Calhanoglu transition the play through a number of methods. Be it line breaking passes or driving forward from deep, the left and right sided stars in the middle of the park have to be able to carry out these core duties to an extremely high standard.
That’s because Inter are a side that will dominate in Serie A. Only Como (61.6%) had a better possession average than Inter (59.7%) in Italy’s top tier last term. They need to find a number of ways in which to break opponents down, which is why the two central midfielders are key.
Jones, though, has the ability to utilise either his distribution or his driving capability to punch a hole in a defence. The Liverpool youth product created one chance per 90 in the Premier League last season. It wasn’t the best return, however none at the club covered themselves in glory in a doomed title defence. This was also a drop in the 1.2 the previous campaign.
Vertical passing key
However, Jones was incredibly efficient in possession, evident by a 91.6% pass accuracy from 76.7 passes per 90. What stood out, though, was the regularity with which he got the ball forward. Only Virgil van Dijk (1012) and Ibrahima Konate (749) managed more forward passes than Jones (553) of Liverpool players in the Premier League last season. A forward pass every 3.5 minutes – and 25.8 per 90 – was better than any other midfielder to make at least 10 league outings. This despite playing a bit-part role under Slot.
There was a clear willingness to advance the play. This verticality will be hugely beneficial to Chivu’s Inter side. It’s one area where the Serie A champions could certainly improve. Despite their dominance, Inter actually placed sixth for forward passes (5789) in Italy’s top tier last term. Having an additional player who can advance the play will see this figure rise considerably.
What’s more, Jones also managed a respectable one completed take on per 90. That return rose to 1.5 per 90 in the Champions League. Granted, his best quality is his ability to shift possession forward but it’s another weapon in Jones’ armoury.
Either way, it’s a move that makes sense for all parties. Liverpool are bringing in a fee for a player who is out of contract next summer. Inter are signing a midfielder that’ll boost their hopes of defending their Scudetto. Jones, meanwhile, garners regular game time for one of Europe’s elite sides. His arrival could prove the difference in Inter’s quest to pip their rivals to the title.