Tajon Buchanan enjoying every minute of journey at Internazionale: 'I'm super grateful'

It was quite the change to endure in a short period of time. 

After attracting interest from some of Italy's top teams during the 12 months that elapsed since the World Cup, where he broke onto the scene with a strong performance for Canada, Tajon Buchanan seemed destined to move to Serie A this winter, with interest heating up from Inter Milan, who had remained one of his strongest suitors from the start. 

Having seen his potential after some strong performances at Qatar, where he was identified as a possible reinforcement at wing back, they'd been monitoring him closely, and felt ready to pounce. 

As a result, after weeks of negotiations, they got the deal over the line early into the January transfer window, signing Buchanan from Club Brugge for a reported fee of 7 million euros (plus add ons) on January 5th, 2024. 

From there, Buchanan was dropped into a completley brand-new environment. He was leaving a place with great pedigree in Brugge, where he'd won one league title and tasted the top level in the UEFA Champions League, but joining Inter was a whole different level. 

A team that has aspirations of being one of the top teams in the world, with the goal being to win Serie A, the Champions League and every other competition they played in, Buchanan was dropped into a dreamland with this move. All of a sudden, some of the players he was going up against in rondos in were some of the best in the world, such as recently crowned World Cup champion Lautaro Martínez and 2018 World Cup champion Benjamin Pavard, as well as key internationals such as Marcus Thuram (France), Nico Barella (Italy), Alessandro Bastoni (Italy), Federico Dimarco (Italy), Denzel Dumfries (Netherlands), and many more. 

Safe to say, it was a dream environment to land into, but certainly a tough one for Buchanan, who had a steep learning curve to endure. 

"[Playing for Inter,] it's massive," Buchanan told Kristian Jack of OneSoccer. "It's a huge club, and sometimes you don't realize it because everything is happening so quickly; I moved there and trying to adapt as soon as possible, and learn as much as I can, so you don't really get to just take it all in. But it's a massive club, and to be training and playing with some of the best players in the world, and under one of the best coaches, is huge. I'm super grateful for it."

Yet, this is the exact sort of environment that Buchanan always felt he could one day thrive in. A late bloomer, one that went the college route and spent two years with Syracuse, it feels not that long ago that he was just eager to crack it as a professional in North America, where he earned his first opportunity with the New England Revolution, who drafted him ahead of the 2019 season. 

But having been on a meteoric rise since, starting with a dominant year and a half stretch with the Revolution from the beginning of 2020 into 2021, a transfer to Brugge in the summer of 2021, and then a rapid journey from a U23 Canadian debut at the beginning of 2021 to becoming a key Canadian starter by the end of that year, he's always shown to be good at learning on the fly. 

Because of that, Buchanan's been excited to learn from some of those charatacers at Inter, the same way he was excited to share the field with the likes of Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David at his first Canada camps, before becoming a key supporting piece for that duo. 

Similar to then, where he was just eager to absorb anything he could from the likes of Davies, David and then Canadian head coach John Herdman, eager to earn a starting spot for Canada, he's now enduring a similar learning process at Inter. Having been dropped in the middle of one of Inter's best seasons in decades, minutes have been hard to come by at his new club, as he's only played 33 minutes across three Serie A appearances against Salernitana, Lecce and Napoli, so he's made sure to take advantage of every learning moment possible. 

For example, the tutelage of Inter's coach, Simone Inzaghi, regarded as one of the brightest tactical minds in Europe, has been key for Buchanan, helping him adjust and get ready to become a contributour at this level long-term, something he's been quite grateful for. 

"He's very competitive," Buchanan said of Inzaghi. "He wants to win every game. He's a very tactical coach; knows what he's talking about. He's very clear with what he wants us to do on the pitch. So far, being there the last two and a half months, for me it's taking as much in from him and obviously my teammates. I'm trying to learn what they want from me when I do get my opportunities on the field to show them I'm doing the things they want me to do."

Along with the support of some of those aforementioned teammates, such as club captain Martínez, or his positional peer in Dumfries, that's all helped ease this transition for Buchanan. 

A lot of it has happened behind the scenes as he battles for minutes, but he's felt it's helped his game massively, and should only help him down the road, even if he's had to wait for a lot of opportunities. 

"To be fair, all the wing-backs at Inter, I'm able to take parts of their games and try and add it to my game," Buchanan explained. "Dumfries has been at Inter for many years and to learn off of what he's doing, it's something big for sure. He's been super helpful with helping me adapt and approaching every day to be at my best. Lautaro is a top player and a good guy. Super humble. He's helped me adapt. He's welcomed me right away to the team and he's the captain of the club; he leads by example. He's been having an excellent season so far so super happy to be one of his teammates."

And that's the big thing to look forward to with a move like this - the best is still to come for Buchanan. It might be frustrating for him not to be starting every week as he was at Brugge or New England, but that was always going to be the reality of coming to a club like this, especially halfway through such a dominant campaign. 

But slow growth was always a plan for Inter, who had bought Buchanan with the idea that Dumfries might depart this summer, where it's expected the Dutch defender could make a move to the Premier League. Because of that, the plan is to have Buchanan learn and develop alongside Dumfries now, with the goal being to replace him when he departs. 

That's why Inter were willing to pay a fee to bring him in now, as they feel that Buchanan's price will be a steal when Dumfries departs for 40+ million euros, instead of waiting for Buchanan to up his price with strong performances at Brugge. 

So for now, Buchanan's just biding his time and waiting for that opportunity. It's meant a lot of long days in training, and a lot of learning off the pitch, but that will hopefully pay off the road as he looks to establish himself as a starter long-term. 

And while he does, Canadians at home will be keeping a close eye on him, as he'll have a big role to play on this CanMNT going forward, something that his journey at Inter will only help him with. 

Therefore, he's looking to make the most of it, and can't wait for what's to come at his new club, from sharing the pitch with world class teammates, playing in big games and lifting lots of trophies. 

"Inter, we're in a position right now where we're playing really good football; we're one of the best teams, I would say, in the world right now," Buchanan enthused. "To be training at that level every day definitely was a step up from what I'm used to at Club Brugge – nothing too crazy or anything like that, but just approaching every day and having to be at your top level, that's definitely been a change."

"The level's been good. I feel I can make a difference in this league and for the team but it will take time, for sure. I have to control what I can control every day and work hard, and when those opportunities come, I've got to show it."