Inter technical director Marco Branca has thanked Juventus for ‘allowing’ them to sign Antonio Cassano.
Inter technical director Marco Branca has thanked Juventus for ‘allowing’ them to sign Antonio Cassano.
The Nerazzurri became the Italian’s latest club in the summer and he has since revealed that he turned down Juve on three occasions. “They only want little soldiers,” he declared in an interview.
That jibe was the source of a question for Juventus boss Antonio Conte in a webchat with fans of the Old Lady yesterday.
Although he didn’t name Cassano, it was clear that the former Bari, Sampdoria, Real Madrid, Roma and Milan man was at the centre of the tactician’s response.
“There are no little soldiers at Juventus,” Conte stated. “Here there are serious professionals.
“When we go for a player, the things we look at are his human characteristics because in times of difficulty, the player becomes secondary and the man emerges.
“If behind a man there is only a talker, then we prefer to leave those types of players to others.”
Branca was subsequently asked to comment on Conte’s words in relation to a player who has scored five goals in 12 League games for the Beneamata.
“I thought that the matter had already been resolved between the players and that there was no need of the intervention of people who hold positions within the club of greater responsibility,” Branca noted after Leonardo Bonucci indirectly tweeted a response to Cassano.
“I will not respond in order to not further fuel the controversy and go against the climate of serenity that we all desire.
“Anyhow, we thank him for leaving us certain types of players…”