Why Inter Milan Don't Need Kaka

A lot is being made in the press abut a proposed move by Inter to sign former World Player of the Year – Kaka. It might just be that this is some reporter’s personal fancy but if there is any substance to this rumor then this idea certainly needs a revisit. I certainly believe that signing Kaka would not be the best decision Inter could make in the current scenario.

Financial Outlay: Firstly, from a financial point of view Kaka is a very expensive proposition. Inter has been trying hard to balance its books and if we are to have any chance of not falling foul of the Fair Play Regulations, then the current austerity needs to continue. One also needs to keep in mind that the tightening of the purse strings will give a chance to several Primavera youngsters to actually ply their trade in the Inter senior team and they won’t be shipped off to Parma or Genoa without having ever played a singled game for the club. Kaka will command a super high salary and all the good work done by Branca and Co. by reducing our swelled wage bill over the past year or so will be lost in one fell swoop. He will also expect to play for a majority of the games which means the chance to blood in a youngster also diminishes along the way.

Recovering Money Spent: Kaka is 28 and if we sign him in January 2011, he will be 29 just a few months later. He’s a quality player and Real having spent truckloads of cash on him and will want to recoup as much as they can. Eto’o was also of a similar age when we got him. But no one will disagree that his deal was one of the shrewdest pieces of business ever done by Inter. If Branca can manage something similar (which I highly doubt given the circumstances in this case), then by all means we should sign Kaka, but if it means forking out millions then it seems that for all ends and purposes, Inter won’t be able to recover most of the outlay on him. Let’s face it, no club in the world would be willing to spend a figure close to 15 – 20 millions Euros on a player in his 30s and that’s assuming the player doesn’t suffer from a dramatic loss of form. Thus it would make much more sense for Inter to spend their money on developing a very promising looking academy and continue the good results enjoyed by the Primavera team.

Is it the same Kaka? There used to be a time just a few seasons ago when Kaka would carry the whole of Milan on his shoulders and even single handedly win matches for them. Whether it was the presence of Ronaldo or the combination of new team, new league and new culture, Kaka just didn’t seem his old self. One must not forget that Milan sold Shevchenko when many people thought he was at the peak of his powers and we all know how that story panned out at his new club. Maybe Milan again knew the time was right to cash in on their star asset and if the signs are anything to go by, Inter would do well to look in another direction for adding a touch of creativity to their otherwise potent attack.

Space for another ego? Inter already has Eto’o and Sneijder in the same dressing room. Zanetti and Cambiasso for obvious reasons are the leaders of the dressing room. In such an environment, where would Kaka fit in? Is the dressing room ‘large enough’ for another high profile, big money signing who might expect to be the focal point upon his arrival? It does seem as though the idea of grooming a Coutinho into a future World Player of the Year might well be the smarter route to take. We must not forget that a player who will spend his formative years at a club has a much higher probability of being loyal to a club than a typical professional who will not look at Inter with any added fondness (though there are always exceptions to this as well).

A Moratti signing or a Benitez signing? Benitez has already said on a number of occasions this summer that he is not in charge of the signings. No one expects Inter’s management to have a sudden change of heart and give the new manager all decision making power in transfer dealings. Saying this however, isn’t it the Management’s duty to ensure that the player being signed is someone the Coach at least had in mind? Benitez is known to prefer hard work over flashes of brilliance. I agree that in Kaka’s case the flashes are long lasting and frequent but it still looks like more of a Moratti signing than a Benitez signing. I hope Moratti doesn’t feel burdened to get one back at his counterpart at Milan by signing one of Berlusconi’s former aces. Mr. Moratti is Inter’s #1 fan and will no doubt always have the club’s best interest at heart. His ownership style has shown a sense of maturity of-late (I’ll say starting off with the free signing of Cambiasso) and a move for Kaka has traces of the early days in his tenure when Inter were, lets just say not the best at transfer dealings.

Just money? Real have made no secret of their fancy for Maicon. It has also been reported that Eto’o might have been a possible (failed) target for them. With Mourinho bemoaning the lack of a third recognized centre forward, he might well entertain the idea of parting with Kaka for somebody like an Eto’o. Of all our attacking players, the one who’s most likely to be our top scorer this season is Eto’o and if his pre/early season form is anything to go by, we can expect bucketfuls of goals from our paciest forward. Thus parting with him or the Best defender in European football is a big no-no.

Lastly, and I think the most important point to be made here is the man at centre of the storm. Kaka in my opinion is a man of great honor and integrity and would never get back at his former club by playing for their cross city rivals. A move to Inter would in some ways tarnish this reputation of his and he will want to be remembered as the player who was one of Milan’s best and not some guy who went on to play for their rivals.

It does seem as though such a move would not bode well for all parties concerned. But one might take a completely different look at things and view Kaka as the final piece in Inter’s jigsaw for another year of dominance. This topic is sure to stir the emotions…..