After two and a half years between lights and shadows, the 18-year-old attacker leaves Inter, which retains a percentage in case of the sale of the player afterwards. Outstanding quality and talent, but off the pitch…
In the summer of 2021, the eyes of top talent scouts were all on Kevin Zefin. The player of Albanian origin, born in Dublin, at the time 16 years old, was amazing in the Shamrock Rovers shirt. Dribbling all over the pitch, goals and above average game vision. At the age of 15, he made his debut in the second division, scoring his first goal after a month.
Inter snatched him, winning the competition with half of Europe, but two and a half years later they say goodbye. Zefi will move to Roma with zero parameters. Why?
If you look at his experience numbers at Inter, Zefi has not disappointed when he has played. Between U-17, U-18 and Primavera, he has scored 25 goals in 47 games, confirming himself as a skilled dribbler and taking steps forward in the game, but he is very individualistic.
If you compare his journey with other Inter players born in 2005, such as Valentin Karboni and Aleksandar Stankovic, it can be seen that with only 10 games between the Primavera and the Youth League, he is 'stunning' with his peers, who have tried Serie A The problem, apart from any injury, has been Zefi's behavior, not always in line with the club's requirements.
His very individualistic football has also been encountered in everyday life, with some excessive 'heading', which has hindered the gearing in the system that requires respect and rules as essential values in the youth sector. Zefi signed a contract at the age of 16 and from Dublin he found himself far from his family, in a Milan full of distractions.
After two and a half years of trying to put it on the right track, the parties have discussed the renewal with a discount. In the end, the common choice was to find a new destination, which is Rome.
The view of the yellow club is different, because it takes a talent with zero parameters. The goal is to raise Zefi from the football side, but also from the personality side. The operation is of the 'win-win' type, because the economic investment is zero. Inter have retained a clause that allows them to collect a percentage if Roma sell him in the future.
In any case, Kevin Zefi will leave Milan on July 1. For his son's sake, the hope is that in Rome, the Albanian, who plays for Ireland's U-19s, finds a way to be less individualistic, dribble past distractions and really start a positive career. Maybe even dressed in red and black.