January transfer window: Who should Inter buy/sell?

Ok so its that time of the year again where the backroom staff of all the clubs will be working overtime to get their targets and strengthen their squads in the January transfer window. But, here we are only concerned about Inter! Whom should inter buy and who they should sell. Both Moratti and Paolillo have made it clear that they will not spend too much because of the FFP (Financial Fair Play) that is going to come into effect. So what are the options for Inter?

The coach has made it clear that he wants youth. And Inter have one the best youth academies in the world. So we could be seeing more graduates from the B team to the first team. With young players like Ranocchia, Faraoni, Alvarez, Zarate, and Coutinho getting more playing time under Ranieri, the midfield can be overlooked this Jan. With Sneijder returning from injury, it would be interesting to see how the pairing of Sneijder and Poli will work together. I for one, believe that the team should be built around Sneijder.

The main concern still remains the defence. The rock solid partnership of Lucio and Samuel cannot go on for another season without a strong backup ready to replace them in case of injuries or a dip in form. Ranocchia still needs to improve, and I am sure he will be better next season, but his good performances comes in matches that have either Lucio or Samuel partnering him. He needs to perform in absence of Lucio and Samuel. Therefore, Inter need a real good Center back to partner Ranocchia. Chivu has been a disaster this season. Even though he has had some good performances, his mistakes outweigh his good performances. He tends to get himself booked for silly challenges (and most of them early in the game) and cannot be relied on in any counter attack situation by the opposition.

On paper, the forwards should get the job done. With Milito, Pazzini, Forlan, Zarate and Castaignos, scoring goals actually should not be a problem. But, as the match against Lecce last week showed, Inter have wasted more opportunities than scoring. Milito should be given an ultimatum to improve, and if he doesn’t, then must be sold in the summer. Zarate should get more clinical, but he has time on his side. The same with Castaignos.

Overall, Inter must sell most of their dead weights in Muntari, Chivu, Stankovich, Cordoba, and if a good price comes along – even Milito. In the buying section, I think they need to rely on their youth for this season, and look for options in the summer.

But the question remains: Are there any good young center backs for sale? Looks like its going to be a long season for Lucio and Samuel.