This week Piero Ausilio’s was guest on Inter Nos, the program on Inter Channel in which the Inter fans can send in questions via Twitter and receive answers on the show. The Sporting Director of Inter was therefore in the spotlight and received a lot of questions which he was happy to answer: “From my point of view it has never been a problem to talk, we must be clear and honest, to have the serenity of having done the best you can. I know I have been working hard with my team, we discussed and decided on what to do on this transfer market knowing the financial difficulties we are in. We know we have done a good job. Two coaches is one difficulty more, in the summer things were done for a team built on 3-5 -2 with coach Mazzarri. With Mancini it would have been easier to continue on that road, he would find more certainty and helpful players for that type of project. We have tried to bring something different now and the results will be seen later. Mancini brings a different mentality which he has transmitted to us and to the team. Today the results are negative but the evaluations will be made at the end. We are thinking that we have built something important that will last for years. Napoli? We would have preferred to win, we came close. It is normal that there is bitterness, you are not moving forward in a competition that you care about, but in the analysis the day after we noticed that there were six players on the pitch born after 1991, including Santon who had never been coached by Mancini. An authoritative performance, with a second half in which we were protagonists. We lost but we take with us the positive things that give us confidence for the future.”
After how many appearances does the redemption of Schelotto come into effect at Chievo?
“There are two conditions: Chievo avoiding relegation and 25-26 appearances. He’s playing well and he is happy there. These contracts are increasingly full of clauses, for Chievo avoiding relegation counts and the redemption is tied to the continuity of profit. For an insider it is difficult to send guys elsewhere. When you get used to Inter it is difficult to make them understand that it would be better for them to find continuity with another team, because then we might consider his return. With Santon it has gone well, he had been sold outright, he courageously agreed to have an experience abroad and now he is back.”
Do you like Schaer of Basel? With Murillo he would make an interesting couple.
“I like Murillo better. It is obvious that Schaer is a good player, a Swiss national, but we needed a different player in defense.”
Are there hopes to get Cassano?
“I don’t think so, in the offense we’re good as it is. With Antonio we left off on good terms, the relation has been great but that does not mean that we will get back together on a professional level. We decided to focus on our youth in attack.”
Will there be a sale of big player without the revenue of Champions League?
“There is no use hiding it, it is normal that in such a case we would lack resources for the new transfer market. There are no special suspects, but for some players to arrive it is normal that someone may leave. In January, we made sacrifices, a player like Bonazzoli left for an important sum but thanks to a gentlemen’s agreement with Sampdoria we can control his development.”
We await the answers from the team.
“We are convinced that this is a good team, not worse than the very early. I’ve had confirmation 2-3 days ago. If you go to Napoli with that personality and lose because of an unlucky episode of the team, not the individual, it means that what we think is true. The team has value, young talented and can do much better.”
Are you happy with the purchases?
“Yes, we did our best. Bringing Shaqiri, Podolski and Brozovic to Milano, but also Murillo for whom a lot was done was important. We were good at anticipating the competition, in the case of Shaqiri, to convince him of our project to medium to long term. Then I always think that you could do better but there is satisfaction.”
Have you considered the mental aspect when buying players?
“There are no schemes, we must always see things in context, looking for quality players is important but to the quality should be added personality and charisma. Without those it is difficult to wear the Inter shirt and enter the pitch at the San Siro. Sometimes it succeeds, sometimes the young players have those qualities but need to gain experience. We need patience, a player born in 1994 may not have the charisma of a Luis Figo. That discussion is not always about age, but personality is a feature which you can not do without. Podolski? He can’t be questioned, against Juve his level showed, he is now paying for the poor continuity at Arsenal. He needs time to reach the condition to perform his best, he also has power and speed, not only character. The moment he will be called to play for Inter he will prove to have character, leaving London and Arsenal.”
Three big players and we’re good. Will Mancini get what he asks for in the summer?
“With three big players we will be good. But there is a different reality. I have the utmost respect for the fans, I do not think that Inter can improve only through big players for 30 million. You can find good ideas at a lower cost and then they become big at Inter.”
Will Ranocchia’s contract be renewed?
“There’s a handshake, for a series of bureaucratic situations it has not yet been formalized but in effect it is prolonged. I said before that there is never an error made only by one individual. Andrea made, but the reasons for goal that was conceded happened before. Behind every goal that is conceded there is a joint responsibility. Andrea does not have to prove anything, he is serious and has Inter in his heart, he is playing despite not being the best. At several times in Naples he seemed destined to be forced to go off the pitch because he was in difficulties, instead he gritted his teeth. Outside certain things are not seen, but for us he is worth much. The error must be forgotten, only next Sunday counts and he is thinking in these terms.”
Will the players you have gotten have an immediate impact?
“It is normal that for Brozovic and Santon we think of the future, but they can also improve Inter this season. They arrived, however, thinking that they may be important for the future, I do not like to work for 4-5 months. Podolski is a different thing, he is 30 years old and belongs to Arsenal. Brozovic, Shaqiri and Santon are for the future.”
Shaer, Konoplyanka and Khedira have contracts expiring in June, a thought?
“They are three very good players, a bit too expensive. Konoplyanka is an opportunity, but he comes from a particular situation, strange, he has an expiring contract but does not know whether to leave. He is an opportunity. Roma after him? Sabatini’s doing well being interested in three or four players, but he could only get one. He is good.”
What do you think of Murillo for next season?
“If I thought he would be bad we would have a problem (laughs). He is not yet a purchase, he is a bit more than an interest. If we were not convinced we would not be here talking about him. He reminds me of Cordoba, he is aggressive, fast and has good feet. He can play in a defense of 4 or 3, he is not very tall but very explosive. in many ways reminiscent of Ivan, but each of them has his own characteristics that distinguish him. Cordoba is a reference point for him, I wish for him to do half of what Ivan did.”
Which is the best player you brought to Inter?
“In the singular I can talk about this market, I prefer to refer to the working group, there is never a authorship when you buy someone. There is discussion, a club, a structure, a president and a shared decision making. To stay at the last one, I am satisfied with these guys. They are all guys who can make an important contribution. Brozovic? We followed him for over a year, we could have gotten him in the summer but we could not close. Starring in the World Cup could have complicated things but we started early and this has paid off. When he chose whom to marry he decided for the first girlfriend.”
Could Inter make an attack for Dybala in the summer?
“I think it’s a very difficult operation, because Palermo is good at selling there jewels. It will not be for those who want an easy operation. Great player, I have known him for a long time, I have tried but he had no passport. Even at Palermo he was registered from outside the EU. At the time he played in Serie B, he was a non EU player, he was not ready to be a starter and sacrificing a slot for a boy with great potential was not easy. Then we were hoping for some conditions but when his move to Palermo was done the numbers were changed.”
What characteristics should a player have to play for Inter?
“Certainly the talent has to be there, because the technical quality is the basis of any choice, or so it should be. Then when you think of Inter you also have to consider the aspects of character and without the personality the talent is not enough. If you lack the will to improve, you will do nothing with the talent.”
Is it better to bring a champion to Inter or win a gamble by turning a player into a starter?
“You can bring champions to Inter if you have many components. Today, you do not need a scouting or good Sporting Director to get a champion, a champion is seen by anyone. The satisfaction is greater when you see a young man becoming a major player in your team.”
How and when was the deal for Shaqiri born?
“With Bayern towards the end of the year, with the entourage of the player, his family, three years ago. The brother was here, then you are reminded of the discussion we had before Shaqiri went to Bayern, he was not yet a well-known player then. we have maintained the relationship, so it was easier to resume the talks. In November, we talked about him, more or less when Mancini arrived. He made me understand that he wanted a certain type of player and we put a few names on the table. The coach told me that he liked him and we started the approach.”
Will Mancini launch Camara?
“Mancini has the record for youth from the Primavera launched in the first team. Many have become important players, like Bonucci or Siqueira. He has had thirty boys make their debuts, he is someone who is linked to the situation of the moment. I remember Slavkovski who seemed like a champion then he was a bit lost. In Cagliari-Inter Bonucci made his debut, then Meggiorini, who played for years in Serie A, entered. Davide had been noticed, he trained with the first team but in fact it was in Allevi. Mancini is very attentive to the young players, the last two we signed, Italo and Correia, he wanted them in training with the excuse that they can not be entered in the tournament in Viareggio. Puscas will not be the last to make his debut. Casiraghi? We have worked together for 25 years. I was also one of his players, for me he is a second father and considering the time we have spent together I have seen him more than my family. I know what he still can give to Inter, he lives of passions and moves just for the joy of discovering players. He had seen Italo four years ago in Vasco, he was born in 1996, then we followed him but the first to notice it was Casiraghi. When there was a chance we got him. Casiraghi will remain for a long time and he will be a reference point.”
People like you must understand the weight of the shirt that the players wear.
“All members of the club are aligned to what must be the goal, which is to do well every game. You have to understand the importance of these colors, it is not always easy when you change so much, some things are not transmitted automatically, but the components of the club never cease to remember that. but they want to work and are the first to be disappointed. The explanations are justifiable, other things are beyond logic as when you lose at random. Everything will one day be rewarded.”
Could you sign the son of Simeone this summer?
“Good player but not a priority, we have other things to fix first.”
How do you rate yourself after a year alone by Sporting Director?
“The evaluation of the season you can do in May. I am aware of having made the most, there were two different transfer markets dependent on financial constraints and technical guidelines. I feel calm, I did everything possible. I liked the transfer market in January because I worked on more brilliant things. Murillo and Brozovic were followed for a long time and arrived in tune with the needs of the coach. You should ask Mancini if he is satisfied, knowing that there was little room for choice. in January there the bad habit of having to do it all in a month. Having done almost everything in time and to have given the opportunity to the coach to work immediately with the new signings is a good thing for me. I do not care for making a signing on the last day. I would consider a shorter transfer market in the summer favorable. I would start even the season before, two things that go together. It is normal that finishing the transfer market in August and September will lead to speculation, but it is true that a coach would have the right to work with the highest possible number of players at his disposal in July. In early August you could start the season after the transfer market closes. If the transfer market shut before everyone would adjust.”
How close were we to Cristiano?
“No Cristiano Ronaldo (laughs). Quite a bit pricey…”
It is said that Lavezzi has been blocked in June, is that true?
“It is not true, he is a player who we always liked, in the past before PSG there was a chance to get him. There is no question about his quality, but I know he plays for an important team and reality leads me to say that it is very difficult. Then, the impossible in football exists only for Cristiano and Messi.”
Has Aaron Mooy ever been observed?
“I do not know of him.”
Will you be able to formalize the sale of Osvaldo by Saturday?
“I do not know the times, there was this interest of Boca but it is something that is pursuing the player. If he will be pleased to go there for these five months, since he is not owned by Inter and the last word goes to Southampton, he will do that. We have given him the availability to find the accommodation that feels best, in full harmony. If going back to Buenos Aires makes him happy it makes me happy. He will not come back to us after four months in Argentina because he is not ours, he is registered with us until June 30 and July 1 he will again be a player of the Saints.”
Give us a summary of your career?
“I arrived at Inter in January 1998, the secretary of the youth, then in charge of the youth organization with Baresi. Then I was in La Spezia for one year getting the qualification of sports director, a great experience. I returned as director of youth and I am now officially Sporting Director. What I do now alone I’ve actually always done as a support for the technical directors who took turns here. In 1998 I did the first transfer market with Mazzola, then Branca, Terraneo. With Branca, in recent years, I have been a sort of assistant. When I was alone I did not notice the difference.”
The best deal on the transfer market by Inter ever?
“The one with the sale of Ibrahimovic for Eto’o and lots of money. A perfect operation closed by Moratti and Branca. Ronaldo? For me, on a personal level, it is the best I have ever seen at Inter, but speaking of economic operation I will still say Eto’o for Ibrahimovic, considering that we then won everything.”
A player who grew up with Inter that you are most fond of?
“There are many, and fortunately some are still here. Seeing Davide here again was a great joy, he was lost and found a different, but courageous road. I found him to be more serene, more of a man, he has a family and certain things affect your work. He left as a child and returned as a man. I told him that if he has humility and desire to do it he can return to the national team.”
Are there concrete contacts with players for June?
“We never stop working, because things are planned and when it comes time to see if you can close. If you do not work in these months you do not find opportunities in August. With the coach we have discussed what should be done for the next season to improve. We will try to to be ready.”
Is there a chance that Touré will come to Inter?
“Yaya Touré is a really great thing, not impossible, but almost. But we are fortunate to have a coach who has been with him a few years, if there is a chance through Mancini we will try to go for it, today it is almost impossible. A player who has unquestionable quality, but I think they know it even at City. We can only limit ourselves to saying that we like him, that we are at the limits of the impossible and for us he would be something extraordinary. I am not saying no because I don’t like him.”
What is your personal ambition?
“The goal was to do what I’m doing today, the dream now is to win again. In other roles I have proudly been a part of an Inter side that won, now I want to do it again.”
Which are the players that are in the best form at Inter?
“But Inter is in health, in terms of form, there are no particular dips. It is normal that some football players need more time to return to their usual performances, if you do not have a team that is in good form you do not play as well as we did in the last game. Andreolli? A player who has great importance on and outside the pitch, he has a sense of belonging to our colors through the daily work and the serenity to accept the decisions of the coach that he wants to convey to his teammates. And if he has the opportunity to play he hardly ever makes mistakes. He understood that even if you have little opportunity to play you need to make the most of it. It must be said that he also refused Milan to come to us. The operation in which we sold him I remember well, I tried to convince him to go to Roma. we were in a restaurant, at 4 am he was not convinced, we made the trip to Rome together and agreed. He is an Interista, he found it hard to leave.”
Do you have the scarves in the car for the players when they arrive?
“No, it is Crippa, it is he who is dealing with that. He gives them to the players and then he takes them back (laughs).”
Describe Correia and Italo for us?
“Italo is central defender, good physique and technique. He was signed for the Primavera but Mancini has been impressed by him and is making him train with the first team. Correia is a first and second striker, good technically and physically strong. He will make people talk about him soon.”
Will Crisetig and Benassi return?
“Crisetig is doing well in Cagliari, we are happy. It is a loan for two years, we are following him, he is one of those profiles that will return to Inter. Maybe he needs another year but we did not want to give him up, considering that Cagliari wanted do a different operation. Benassi is ours to 50%, he is doing very well and we are happy because after a negative period he has had the character to get his shirt as a starter back. It means that he has the personality we were talking about before. Working with Ventura you improve, remember Ranocchia, Bonucci, Cerci. Benassi has been lucky enough to have this experience with him, it will be useful.”
Why were Duncan and Bonazzoli sold?
“We had to find the resources to get cash in order to sign Brozovic and Shaqiri. Bonazzoli, however, is an operation that makes me feel comfortable, because if he develops like we hope we have an agreement with Ferrero that allows us to get him back to Inter.”
Allan is a player for whom Inter will be ready?
“We know him, he has grown a lot and is owned by a club that is good at selling its players.”
Is technology used in scouting?
“Yes, it is a support but in the end you need the eyes of the scout. The technology has improved the work, all leagues are in a simple software, but then the scout must carry out the relations after watching. And before a choice there is always a comparison, the player is watched often and by different people.”
Was Baselli a solution?
“Inter were after him before the others, but in this market it did not happen because we chose Brozovic. We wanted the Croatian but we were not sure we would get him because there were other teams. I appreciate and know Baselli, but it is not true that Inter tried to get him. The last talk was in August. If they say players are stolen from Inter it pleases me, sometimes Inter form the players who other get. We follow the players but we can not take them all. I know Baselli but we never negotiated for him. Making chats like this at the end of the market allows you to explain situations in which there is not always correct information, but we can’t always deny everything.”
Source: fcinternews.it