After spending nearly a decade with Borussia Monchengladbach, where he has made 272 appearances, Yann Sommer seems destined to be a journeyman for the twilight of his professional career.
But fast forward to today, and it feels like he has found a new home here in Serie A, as the 34-year-old veteran is having a great campaign with his new team, Inter Milan.
14 matchdays in, and Inter Milan are on top of the Serie A table with 35 points because they are on a superb run of Serie A 2023 results, and Sommer is one of the reasons why they are a viable contender for the Scudetto, as per the Serie A 2023 odds.
Because he signed a contract up until 2026 when he moved to San Siro this summer, Yann Sommer is going to be with the Nerazzurri for the foreseeable future, and his starting goalkeeper spot is his to lose.
Learn more about the evergreen goalie as SBOTOP does a timely feature on him today.
Sommer was only supposed to be a stopgap
Prior to joining Inter Milan, Yann Sommer was with Bayern Munich, whom he joined from Borussia Monchengladbach in the previous winter transfer window for €8 million.
Bayern Munich’s acquisition of Sommer was necessitated after Manuel Neuer broke his leg during a ski trip and was out until the end of the season, and what better option than the star who has been a thorn in their side while playing for the Foals?
Sommer did well for himself during his brief stay in Bavaria since he won his first-ever Bundesliga title. However, with Manuel Neuer back, Bayern Munich were left no choice but to offload the Swiss after only 19 appearances.
After weeks of negotiations, Sommer was then sold to Inter Milan for €6.75 million following the departure of Andre Onana to Manchester United.
Onana was an influential figure for Inter Milan last season, and he was even their Man of the Match in their Champions League final loss against Manchester City, so Sommer had big shoes to fill.
But considering how much they got from the Onana sale (€50 million) compared to the price they paid to get Sommer, Inter Milan certainly profited in this summer transfer window.
The numbers don’t lie for Sommer and Inter Milan
Because they have Sommer between the sticks, the Nerazzurri boast the league’s best defence, with only seven goals conceded.
To put it in context, it means that Sommer has only conceded an average of one goal every two games. And in his first 14 Serie A matches, he has also recorded nine clean sheets, while he has recorded two shutouts out of five games in the Champions League group stage.
Inter Milan only had one league match with more than one goal conceded, which was a 2-1 loss against Sassuolo last September, and it was the only time when Sommer was considered to have had a poor outing.
Against Napoli last night, Sommer was a pillar again on the backline for Inter Milan. The 34-year-old made crucial saves against Elif Elmas, Victor Osimhen, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to make sure that the Nerazzurri came away with another clean sheet victory (3-0), the first time they beat them on the road with a margin of at least three goals for the first time since 1977.
According to Football Reference, Sommer is in the 96th percentile in terms of Clean Sheet Percentage per 90 (43.9-per cent), in the 91st percentile in Goals Against per 90 (0.93), and in the 86th percentile in Save Percentage per 90 (76.4-per cent) among goalkeepers in Europe.
Defence wins titles for Inter Milan
Yann Sommer may not be considered a modern-day goalkeeper because he’s not really known for handling the ball, but he is still a starting-calibre goalkeeper since he does his primary job well, which is to save certain goals.
To his credit, Sommer has been pretty durable throughout his career since he never had a major injury. The last time he was out was in December last year, when a cold sidelined him for only three days.
It also helps Sommer that he has capable defenders in front of him, with the likes of Stefan de Vrij, Alessandro Bastoni, Francesco Acerbi, and Benjamin Pavard, among others, covering him.
If the Nerazzurri are to win the Scudetto again, defence will likely be their calling card. That was the case in 2020-21, when they only surrendered 35 goals en route to finishing the season with at least a 12-point lead over the rest of the pack.
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