Buchanan discusses future with Inter Milan’s leadership

TSN has learned that Canadian midfielder Tajon Buchanan has met with Inter Milan’s leadership to discuss his future with the reigning Italian champions after a difficult calendar year that has seen him make just 15 appearances for the club, mostly as a substitute.

Premier League and La Liga clubs are offering Buchanan loan opportunities, but he has insisted Inter Milan is his priority, and committed himself to fighting for his place in the team. Inter apparently responded by not closing the door on his future, preferring a wait-and-see approach.

Buchanan made headlines last Jan. 5 when he completed a $7 million move to Inter Milan from Belgian First Division A champions Club Brugge. It was the next incredible step in what was already one of the most incredible rises in Canadian soccer. 

All the unexpected momentum that fuelled the excitement around the 25-year-old has now stopped. Part of that is due to the broken leg he suffered during a Canada practice at last summer’s Copa América. Buchanan returned to Inter’s lineup last October.

The other factor is that Inter Milan are a deep and talented team who sit third in Italy’s Serie A and are also competing in the Coppa Italia and UEFA Champions League. All of it means Buchanan is not playing for Inter Milan right now – not in a meaningful way, anyway. 

Inter have a lot of matches coming up over three different competitions, and Buchanan could shake up the team’s depth chart and find his way past current starters Denzel Dumfries and Federico Dimarco.

It's hard not to understand Buchanan’s intent. Over the past three seasons, no team in Italy has had consistent success like Inter Milan. They are a headline team for a player with headline potential. 

But wait and see has not been a part of Buchanan’s young career, and it may not be a good thing for his place on the men’s national team, either.

Canada and head coach Jesse Marsch have not been hurting in the months without Buchanan; but if Buchanan plays, he offers something very different.

It’s exciting to watch Jacob Shaffelburg run ceaselessly down the sidelines and terrorize opponents, and it’s reassuring to watch Marsch inspire a level-up in midfielders like Ali Ahmed and Mathieu Choiniere, while also recruiting newcomers like Niko Sigur.

But when he’s confident and playing at his best, Buchanan has a world-class shine like Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David. He can move on the field like a boxer. He’s always on his toes because he never backs down. He’ll run right at the opposition, while also not giving up the chase in defence. He can score with his feet and with his head.

Buchanan overwhelms opponents and his career, up until this point, has been overwhelming. He went from itinerant teen to NCAA standout to MLS draft pick; from MLS All-Star to European transfer target to cult hero; from Belgian league winner with Club Brugge to setting up Canada’s first-ever goal at the men’s World Cup to moving to the best team in Italy. All of that inside five years.

Even if that meteoric progress has suddenly stopped, it’s no wonder why Inter Milan are okay with wait and see, too. Marsch is also patient. Buchanan initially struggled to find his way in Marsch’s full-commitment, all-intensity system, but before he broke his leg he was apparently figuring it out. 

Buchanan returned to Canada in November, coming on as a substitute during the Concacaf Nations League quarter-final against Suriname. 

But with a Nations League semifinal against Mexico coming in March – and a potential final against the United States after – and Canada Soccer planning prestige friendlies a year out from hosting the World Cup, it’s hard to imagine Marsch relying heavily on Buchanan if substitutions are the only thing on his stat line.

A January move would likely mean a descent from Inter’s lofty aspirations, but it could potentially embolden Buchanan and benefit Canada. 

If it’s to England, Buchanan would probably land on a team facing a relegation battle and looking for an all-in mercenary. If it’s to Spain, it’s perhaps to a team eyeing a Champions League or Europa League qualification spot. Either way it would be a fight, and Buchanan loves a fight. 

Maybe bit players wait and see, but not headliners. And Buchanan is meant to be a headliner.