Inter director Beppe Marotta credits Simone Inzaghi with resisting ‘bitter criticism’ to reach the Champions League Final and confirms they are lowering the age of the squad.
The club is ready to begin pre-season training, having ended later than anyone else because of their participation in the Champions League Final against Manchester City.
It was opened with a press conference shared by Marotta and coach Simone Inzaghi, where inevitably the transfer market was a key topic of debate, especially after Al-Hilal snapped up Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Al-Nassr got Marcelo Brozovic from Inter.
“The Saudi Arabia money has arrived in Europe, they have started to buy players and that could also weaken Italian football. At the same time, it gives us fresh funds to build the team of the future,” said Marotta.
It is the third consecutive season under Inzaghi, a period of stability that the club has not experienced in some time.
“Last season reached the apex of the Champions League Final in Istanbul, but also saw us lift two important trophies. This is thanks to our coach, who had to face down some bitter criticism during the campaign, but managed to take us where we had not been for many years.
“Being vice-champions of Europe is something to be proud of and adds further motivation to do well in future. We sold out all the available season tickets and proved over the years that even without huge investments, we can still build an important squad with a coach getting the best out of them.”
The Nerazzurri have purchased Davide Frattesi from Sassuolo, Aarhus defender Yann Bisseck and free agent Marcus Thuram.
“The three signings have a very clear connection, we want to lower the average age of the squad and also give a contribution to the Italy squad with Frattesi.
“We must thank President Steven Zhang and his family, as even during the difficulties caused by COVID, we never lacked the resources that we needed to do our work.”
Andre Onana remains a strong target for Manchester United, while after that sale they can raise the necessary funds to bring in Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea.