Ricky Alvarez has explained why he snubbed a move to Arsenal in favour of joining Italian giants Inter in the summer of 2011.
The attacking midfielder was wanted by the Premiership outfit, but he ended up in Serie A after a deal was done with Velez Sarsfield.
Ricky Alvarez has explained why he snubbed a move to Arsenal in favour of joining Italian giants Inter in the summer of 2011.
The attacking midfielder was wanted by the Premiership outfit, but he ended up in Serie A after a deal was done with Velez Sarsfield.
“I chose Inter because of the importance of this club,” he told Tuttosport on Friday. “I also believed that it was the best team for me given that there were so many Argentines already at the club.
“Italy is very similar to my Argentina.”
The 25-year-old, though, has had his problems thanks to the nature of the game on the peninsula and the Nerazzurri's struggles over the last two campaigns.
“Football here is very tactical,” he added. “You have to do a lot of work off the ball, to be alert with your positioning.
“I’ve been used in a number of different roles here too,” he added. “And each one of those have their characteristics.
“That is good as it makes you a more complete player, but it makes it harder for you to do well.
“My preferred role? I like to start wide right in a trident attack – that is the most comfortable position for me.”
Reports in January suggested that he was wanted by River Plate and rumours of a possible summer move to Atletico Madrid won’t go away.
“There was just Inter for me in January,” he explained. “But a return to Argentina would have been a step backwards. When I left I did so with the intention of staying here for a long time.
“Atletico? I’m just thinking about these last five games of the season. We’ll talk about the transfer market after that.”