Inter director Beppe Marotta discusses working within a strict budget under Suning and the toughest transfer deal of his career, which was Paul Pogba’s sale to Manchester United.
The Nerazzurri chief spoke at an event to announce the 2023 shortlist of candidates for the Golden Boy award and was asked about his many years working in Italian football.
“The negotiations for Pogba were the toughest, the talks ran for three days non-stop, locked in a hotel with the Manchester United directors,” revealed Marotta.
“At the same time, we signed Gonzalo Higuain, but we had to sell Pogba first to raise the funds. I had asked Andrea Agnelli for permission to proceed, which was a bit risky, as Gonzalo could’ve gone to Barcelona instead.”
Pogba was signed as a free agent from Manchester United by Marotta in 2012, then Juventus sold him back to the Old Trafford side for over €100m just four years later.
That was not the end of the story, as remarkably the midfielder returned to Turin again for free in the summer of 2022.
At Juventus, Marotta also worked with Chile international midfielder Arturo Vidal, who became rather famous for his off the field antics.
“Vidal had an exceptional physique that allowed him to play at full steam even after nights that were shall we say a little different.”
Marotta and Vidal were reunited at Inter, where the club is run by Chinese conglomerate Suning, represented in Italy by President Steven Zhang.
“Inter is the first time I have worked with foreign club owners. They have made huge investments, pumping in almost €1 billion. The owners guarantee we can put together a competitive squad despite the fact the current investments are smaller.
“The benefit of working with Chinese owners is that the pressure they put on us is relative, they largely leave us to get on with it. The trouble in Italy is that people don’t know how to deal with defeat. As soon as there’s a setback, the media and ultras pile on, and you don’t get that abroad.
“It is difficult to have the right balance when dealing with victory or defeat, as the dynamics change.”