Javier Zanetti confirmed Lautaro Martinez is ‘happy’ at Inter and gave his thoughts on the upcoming summer transfer market and Jose Mourinho’s recent Roma exit.
Lautaro proved himself to be one of the most top strikers in Europe this season as he drove the Nerazzurri to their 20th Scudetto, netting 23 goals and providing five assists across 31 matches, forming a strong partnership with Marcus Thuram.
Inter are working on setting up new deals for various stars including Lautaro and Nicolo Barella, before turning their attention to the transfer market, where they’ll look to bolster the squad in the summer ahead of their busy 2024-25 campaign.
Inter plans, Lautaro future, Mourinho dismissal
Speaking to DAZN via TMW, Zanetti was first asked if Lautaro would be staying with Inter.
“He is happy at Inter, as is his family. He demonstrates a great sense of belonging, he has held the role of captain in an exemplary manner. When Milito worked for Racing we followed him, I spoke to him often, Piero said he was very strong, he was 18-19 years old.
“He was surprised when he scored three goals in a match and he said he was happy with the goals, but not with his performance.
“If you answer like that, it means he has something that makes you think of course he was going to Atletico Madrid, one of his agents called me and told me that there were problems and that if we were still interested, we could talk about him. ‘Immediately’, I told him.
“They came to Milan, then Piero went to Argentina and finished it with Racing. He has improved every year, now he has reached a very important maturity and is a reference.”
He touched on how Inter can improve.
“All the boys felt important, everyone who came in gave their contribution. Carlos Augusto comes to mind, but also Darmian, who is very intelligent. Everyone wanted to show off, we won a lot in the end because we believed, Frattesi scored decisive goals.
“The most difficult thing is to continue, but we do it by working in the same way, humbly. If we want to be competitive, we must defend what we have won. The conditions are there, beyond the game, there is an important human group.”
Zanetti commented on how the Nerazzurri owners make a difference in the transfer market.
“The market depends on the possibilities and opportunities we have. To win you have to build a team off the pitch that works at the same level as the one on the pitch.
“When you win it’s easy, you have to be present in moments of difficulty. The club must support Inzaghi, help him find solutions… If you believe in the coach, you always do so.”
He was asked how much he talks to Steven Zhang.
“We are always in contact, he asks us how things are going. He was disappointed not to be able to be there. When he sees that the club is working, he is calm, I think, he knows that the club is in good hands.”
The Inter vice president spoke about the plans for the summer transfer window.
“If you look at the Champions League final it seems that there is no gap, but in reality, there is.
“We cannot compete with the Premier League on the market, but we must try to find alternatives, bring functional players who we know can wear the Inter shirt and playing in a team with a lot of pressure and objectives.
“Everyone we signed agreed with us, we hope that whoever arrives will also enrich the team.”
Zanetti commented on the Champions League exit to Atletico Madrid.
“The regret remains because we had the opportunity to progress and we didn’t manage to do so, both in the first leg and in the second leg. We could have scored that goal… The Champions League is a competition of details, but you learn from everything.”
He was asked if Inter could find a talismanic player like he once was.
“It would be wonderful, it means that some are well and care. Lautaro has been with us for six years, Bastoni, Dimarco, Barella… If you see them play and hear them talk, they identify with our values. I would really like them to spend their careers with us.
“When you have great players it’s normal for them to be interested, then it’s up to you to refuse a lot of calls.
“Our peace of mind is that if you hear from us, our guys are all very happy to stay their Champions League will have many matches, there is the Club World Cup, we have to defend the title… We have to make a very competitive team.”
The Nerazzurri vice president commented on the old claim that Mauro Icardi wanted to be ‘Zanetti with tattoos’.
“There may be this desire for him. We know how things went, I haven’t heard from him in a long time, sometimes I like to see him around Milan.”
Finally, Zanetti gave his thoughts on Mourinho’s exit at Roma.
“Yes, yes. Now he’s calm. I feel sorry for him because I know how much he cares for his teams. He didn’t expect to be sent away like this… De Rossi is doing a great job anyway.”