Legendary Inter captain and current club vice-president Javier Zanetti has revealed that Inter could not afford to sign Lionel Messi from Barcelona and has tipped Inter to be protagonists in the fast approaching season.
“Messi? We didn’t have the possibilities to sign him. After what we’ve been through with this pandemic, not just us, but all the clubs,” he explained in an interview with Argentine broadcaster Fox Sports, earlier on today.
“The truth is that we are in the situation of having to sell and then try to buy. We started a project with Antonio Conte. The season just gone was very good, we didn’t manage to win in the end, but I think we have grown a lot.
“We are in the phase where we need to give continuity to what has been done already and to improve, which is not an easy thing because we finished second in the league, we lost the Europa League final and the semi-final of the Coppa Italia. I believe that Inter will be protagonists in the next season.”
Zanetti then spoke on an Argentine player who Inter do have as part of their squad at the moment in Lautaro Martinez and discussed his future with the club.
“Is Lautaro a player to sell? No, he was at training this morning. Lautaro’s presence makes me very happy. Much has been said about this negotiation. With the sporting director we hoped that Lautaro would have this growth, what he is doing is very positive and this makes me happy for both Inter and Argentina, we have a number 9 for many years.
“Barcelona’s interest? When you are a great player, it is normal for big clubs to be interested, but Lautaro knows he is already in a great club like Inter. I see him happy here with us, he is living the experience of Italian football which is not easy. He’s on the right path.
“He is part of the present and the future and Inter like other young people like Bastoni, Barella, Sensi and Lukaku, all players who have grown up a lot and who are part of our club’s heritage.
“His release clause? There is respect from the clubs. There are different dynamics in football, there are players who have a clause, if a club comes and pays it there is little that you can do. In this case Lautaro is very well at Inter and I see it when one is happy.
“There was talk of Messi who did not feel happy and then stayed. Messi means a lot to Barcelona and Barcelona a lot to Messi. He has been there for 20 years and it was right for him to stay.”
Zanetti then spoke on his time with Inter and revealed that he had chances to move away from the club during his near 20 year spell with the side.
“For me there was the possibility of going to other clubs, but it depends on how one feels at the club. I have always felt at home at Inter with a lot of responsibility, the first few years were difficult because we only won one UEFA Cup but I always thought our time would come.
“When you face the difficulties then you are much stronger. Although there was the temptation of another club, I always put Inter, my family first, thanks to God and then time proved me right.”
In conclusion Zanetti spoke on how Inter came to sign Lautaro Martinez and how a former teammate of his helped Inter to bring him to the club.
“How do you select a player like Lautaro? Talent alone is not enough. The relationship I have with Milito, who is a brother to me, helped a lot. His word was important.
“When we saw him he immediately made a good impression on us, for how he related to the media, how he self-criticised and showed an important level of maturity.
“When you sign a player like that you have to see his future projection, and we were hoping he would have this kind of growth. When we choose a player we are also very careful about their private life.”
Last season Lautaro made 49 appearances across all competitions to date, in which he scored 21 goals and provided seven assists for his teammates.