Inter president Erick Thohir is here to watch the Nerazzurri take on Torino at San Siro, and before the game he found time to speak to us about a variety of issues: “Mancini’s arrival served as a stimulus for the growth of the club, we want to qualify for the Europa League. That’s been our objective since we came in.”

Thohir went on to speak about the future of the club: “We always do the best for the club. It’s the same thing with the players. Icardi is important and is a big part of the team. We’ve signed a contract with Mateo Kovacic and we’ve brought Shaqiri in. It’s important to combine young players and experienced players.”

What are the club’s targets? “We want to be in Europe and if we can get into the Champions League straight away then why not? We want to make sure we have people who believe in our project and of course we also want a strong team both on the business side and on the field. When we sign players we don’t just buy them for the sake of it but because there’s a strategy behind it. Extending Mateo’s contract until 2019 is another example of that strategy.”

On the club’s transfer dealings: “We’re looking to build for the future. A lot of the players we’re signing at the moment are young but at the same time we have more experienced players who provide balance to the team.”