Syracuse men’s soccer: Orange alum Tajon Buchanan on the move again

After a rough stint with the Italian champions, can the former SU star find some traction in Spain?

It was about one year and one month ago that we here at Nunes Magician reported on the transfer of former Syracuse Orange men’s soccer star Tajon Buchanan, who had completed his move to Italian Serie A champions Inter Milan.

After a tumultuous 13 months, the Canadian International has left for pastures new as he joins Villarreal, a historic club in Spain’s La Liga that competes against the likes of FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Buchanan’s move was confirmed by Fabrizio Romano on January 30th, with Villarreal confirming final terms on February 1st. Buchanan officially joins the Spanish side on a loan deal, but the club will have the opportunity to permanently sign the tricky winger for 13 million euros ($13.5 million) at any point over the six-month loan spell.

If Villareal does make the signing permanent, Buchanan will break his own record for the most expensive Syracuse men’s soccer product after signing for Inter Milan for about seven million in January 2024.

There is no doubt that Buchanan endured a wretched spell with Inter Milan, with whom he spent 13 months. During his spell in Milan, Buchanan found himself a bit out of his depth, playing less than 350 minutes as he was largely hampered by injury and competition for spots.

Due to the elite players in his position as well as an injury this past summer that kept him out for months, Buchanan was unable to find favor or catch a break with Inter Milan Head Coach, Simeone Inzaghi.

Despite the difficulties, Buchanan still lifted the 2023/24 Serie A (Italian League title) with the club, marking probably the biggest achievement made in professional soccer by an SU Alum. Buchanan also netted one goal in what is considered one of the top-four leagues in the world.

Of course, it was never going to be easy for the winger, who jumped from Syracuse, to the MLS, to the best team in Belgium’s Pro Ligue, to the best team in Italy’s Serie A.

Buchanan’s rapid ascent from SU has been astounding, but the move to Villareal represents a practical slight step back that will still allow the winger to compete for the team currently ranked fifth in the third-best league in the world.

The move wouldn’t have happened if Buchanan didn’t deserve it, and with a deadly combination of pace, agility, dribbling, decision-making, and hustle, he still has the tools to succeed at the top level.

Villareal is a historic club in Spain that has recently competed in the Champions League, won the Europa League, and regularly provides a true test to global superpowers Real Madrid and Barcelona. With Villareal, Buchanan will get the chance to test himself against the best players in the world, such as Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr., Raphinha, and Antoine Griezmann. Long story short, Buchanan is still competing in the globe’s top echelon of the game.

One issue that Buchanan has had over the last few seasons is that he has been used out of his favored position as a right-wing back. This was the case at both Brugge in Belgium and Inter in Italy, where Buchanan was forced to balance his attacking desires with his defensive responsibilities and duties.

At SU, Buchanan played as a true wide forward, scoring 12 and assisting six in two seasons before earning a spot in the first round of the MLS SuperDraft.

Canada found a similar recipe for using the Brampton native to his full potential as a tricky and pacy wide attacker. Buchanan’s best pro performances have come while wearing his nation’s red and white, a large part of what convinced Inter to sign him. The marquee moment was his brilliant assist in the 2022 World Cup.

It is these attacking flashes of brilliance and quality with the national team that likely convinced Villareal to pull the trigger on the low-risk signing who they can simply allow to return to Milan at the end of the loan period if they do not have interest.

Villareal plays a system that will allow Buchanan to play and hopefully flourish in his preferred spot: the right winger of a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1.

Buchanan will still have to compete with plenty of high-level talent for his position, but the ability to start with a clean slate and be well-rested should work to his advantage. A successful stint in Spain could play a huge role in jump-starting what has been a shaky year in the career of the 26-year-old.

If Buchanan can return to full fitness, work hard, and be aided by a few positive developments regarding Villareal’s squad health and development, this could be a massive opportunity for the SU alum.

For updates on Buchanan’s journey and all things SU Soccer, stay tuned.