Inter signed Canadian international Tajon Buchanan in January 2024 from Belgian outfit Club Brugge in order to reinforce their options on the right-hand side. The 25-year-old is a versatile and dynamic operator who has become an integral part of the Canadian national team, yet he’s been unable to force his way into Simone Inzaghi’s first-choice XI since his arrival.
Nevertheless, the former New England Revolution star has made a number of fleeting appearances and came off the bench to make his debut on February 17th against struggling Salernitana, replacing Alessandro Bastoni.
Buchanan has barely put a foot wrong so far, and although he’s looked a bit raw at times, his willingness to make things happen and take on opposition players has impressed Inter fans. The Brampton-born wideman got on the scoresheet against Frosinone and featured regularly throughout May, albeit from the bench.
He averaged 4.23 progressive carries per match so far and completed 100% (9 from 9) of his passes in the Scudetto winner’s routine 2-0 victory over Torino.
Despite making a seemingly good impression, his path to the first team has been blocked by a number of experienced operators including Matteo Darmian, who has shaken off his injury issues to become one of the most consistent players for the Nerazzurri during the second half of the campaign. Denzel Dumfries has recently returned to fitness and as a result, many of Buchanan’s recent appearances have been on the left-hand side of the pitch.
Inter have recently been taken over by American-based fund Oaktree Capital Management, and the Nerazzurri’s transfer plans won’t change and will remain based on sustainability. Although they will be keen not to dismantle their title-winning squad, there are a number of players who could both leave San Siro this summer. The future of Denzel Dumfries remains unclear as talks to extend the Dutchman’s contract have been put on hold. His current deal ends in 2025 and the club will be keen to offload him amid Premier League interest.
The 28-year-old hasn’t managed a full 90 minutes since late February and although he would still be in direct competition with Matteo Darmian next season, Dumfries’ departure would certainly provide more opportunities for Buchanan to stake a claim for a regular spot on the right-hand side.
The Canadian international will also get the chance to put himself in the spotlight this summer when representing his country at the 2024 Copa America. He became a regular starter under former coach John Herdman, clocking up 36 appearances (28 starts) and he rewarded the Englishman’s faith by scoring four times and providing six assists.
Buchanan will be keen to impress new boss Jesse Marsch this summer and is likely to be one of the first names on the team-sheet. His versatility is likely to sit well with the former Leeds United boss whose favoured 3-4-2-1 / 4-3-2-1 system relies heavily on wingbacks getting forward at every opportunity.
Having qualified for the 2022 World Cup, their first major international tournament in 36 years, confidence should be relatively high amongst the Canadian footballing fraternity. Nevertheless, most of the major bookmakers do not seem to agree. The fact they’ve been drawn alongside tournament favourites Argentina in Group A may have tempered enthusiasm amongst betting sites and that has been reflected in their odds. Nevertheless, they have been priced up as outsiders to qualify for the knock-out round despite possessing plenty of individual talent such as frequent goalscorer Jonathan David and athletic wingback Alphonso Davies.
The majority of Canadian online sportsbooks, already started offering odds and have priced the Maple Leafs at around 9/4 to qualify from Group A, and there is a decent chance that Jesse Marsch’s side could spring a surprise by taking points off inconsistent duo Chile and Peru. Buchanan will also be helped by the fact that this year’s tournament is being held in the USA and although he won’t be returning to the Gillette Stadium this summer, he will be visiting fairly familiar locations such as the Mercedes-Benz Stadium and Children’s Mercy Park.
If Buchanan puts in a number of good performances this summer and Canada are able to progress to the latter stages, it will give Inzaghi an interesting dilemma next year. If Dumfries leaves Serie A in the coming months, then Buchanan appears to be a ready-made and slightly younger replacement for the outgoing Dutchman.
The 25-year old is described as a ‘laid-back character’ by a couple of his former team-mates, yet he also possesses a fierce determination to succeed. He’ll be keen to kick on next season and become a regular starter for Inter, who will head into the 2024-25 campaign aiming for successive Scudettos.