SoccerAnchor’s Alex Pavlidis takes a look at Samir Handanovic's transfer from Udinese to the Guiseppe Meazza with Inter. 

SAMIR HANDANOVIC

FROM: UDINESE  TO:  INTER MILAN

PRICE: £8.8 million

In one of the most interesting transfers of the Serie A off-season, goalkeeper Samir Handanovic has made the move from Udinese to Inter Milan for a reported 8.8 million pounds.

One would assume that in such a big money transfer, Handanovic would be a regular starter for the Nerazzuri however it seems the Slovenian international will enter the club in a cloud of uncertainty. Brazilian shot stopper Julio Cesar has had an indifferent season for Inter but has vowed to continue on at the Giuseppe Meazza even though he has fallen out of favour with coach Andrea Stramaccioni.

Rumours have circled around Julio Cesar replacing Maarten Stekelenburg at Roma and a possible move back to Brazil but at this stage, nothing has been set in concrete with the goalkeeper being left out of Inter’s pre-season training camp. On the other hand, Handanovic has began training with Inter, not allowing the speculation to hamper his preparation for the 2012/13 season.

The Slovenian captain had held the number one jersey at Udinese since 2007 but the 28 year-old struggled to break into the first team after his signing in 2004 from his junior side NK Domzale. After going on loan to Treviso, Lazio and AC Rimini, Handanovic returned to Udinese to take up the starting goalkeeper position and had made the position his own.

Playing at the 2010 World Cup, Handanovic’s Slovenia surprised many in the tournament and the custodian was remembered for his brilliant fingertip save from point blank range against England. Although his side were unlucky to progress, Handanovic affirmed his position has one of the world’s most underrated goalkeepers and his past two seasons for Udinese continued this trend.

Known for his large stature in front of attackers and an incredible leap, Handanovic will join Inter at the peak of his career, completing a dream move for the shot stopper to one of the biggest clubs in the world. After achieving relative success with Udinese in the past two years, lifting the club to the upper tiers of the table, the six-foot-four goalkeeper will be looking to lift the Nerazzuri out of their current slump and back towards Champions League qualification.

If Inter were looking for anything at the moment, they would be seeking a level of consistency that Handanovic has shown in Serie A thus far keeping an incredible 17 clean sheets in the 2011/12 season. His experience and stature will be a valuable assed to his new side with a goalkeeper’s confidence having a large effect on their team’s performance. Julio Cesar’s form slump has reflected his side’s slide down the league table and Andrea Stramaccioni will look to rectify this with Handanovic’s signing.