Beppe Marotta believes having an Italian backbone in the Inter squad is ‘the way to go’ and hinted at the clubs interest in Davide Frattesi and Giorgio Scalvini. The Nerazzurri CEO was speaking with Radio Anch’io Lo Sport and touched on a number of subjects, including the upcoming Champions League final, the future of Simone Inzaghi at the club, and the importance of having a healthy budget this season:
The Italian backbone of the team.
“I think this is the way to go. The enhancement of the Italian product is mandatory. We express great values as players, coaches, referees, managers. The most important investments are in training centers, so it goes without saying that the relationship between the Federation and clubs must be even stronger because Italian talents can compete with peers throughout Europe.”
Frattesi and Scalvini names for Inter.
“We are in the sphere of globalization so monitoring and scouting must be in the European and global sphere as well. But I emphasized the values of Italian football that are of the highest level. Frattesi and Scalvini are very interesting and there are others as well. Yesterday we witnessed a very good performance by the Italy Under 20 team. They are elements followed by big clubs and I won’t hide the fact that we have our eyes on them, then you have to reconcile with a negotiation.”
Lukaku’s season.
“Lukaku’s prerogative is that he loves the shirt he wears and wants to be with us. However, he is on loan, he will return to Chelsea and we don’t know technically what they want to do. We remain at the window.”
The scenario for Inzaghi.
“You cannot evaluate a season just from one game in Istanbul. Getting to the Champions League final is a source of great prestige and value, Inzaghi richly deserves this match. The evaluation is extremely positive. There was a time when things were not going well and so the debate became more direct, but in a way that was always purposeful. Inzaghi has shown that he is up to the role. His work is positive and recognized by everyone within the club.”
The risk of thinking too much about City.
“It is the risk of the sportsman, even in basketball or other sports. When you have big matches it is normal that the mind goes there. It is up to the players, coach and club to find the right concentration for all the matches. On Wednesday there is a very prestigious match (Coppa Italia final) and we care about it. I’m sure the players will face the right motivation against a top-level Fiorentina. We have to face the commitments step by step.”
The sponsor in Istanbul: will it be a charitable foundation?
“No, actually the corporate side is negotiating with several companies but I don’t know if the negotiations will find definition by June 10. Uefa regulations do not provide for a corporate brand except on a social level. It is being negotiated but I am not in great to say what it will be.”
Budget positivity.
“The locomotive is the sports result, it conditions all the activities of the club that are the enhancement of the brand, of the container that is the stadium. With pride I can say that we are collecting €80 million in revenue, an important result thanks to the performance of the season.”
