Inter CEO Beppe Marotta insists that he his happy with his role at the club and has no intention of leaving, whilst also expressing a hope that coach Antonio Conte will remain.
Under the leadership of Conte, Inter secured a 19th Serie A title, and first since 2010, after Atalanta were held to a 1-1 draw against Sassuolo yesterday.
Marotta joined Inter from Juventus in 2019 and in an interview with Italian television broadcaster Rai, claimed that he was looking to help the club build on their title to begin a period of dominance, with no reason to leave.
“I arrived at Inter in 2019, the ownership showed me an ambitious project and complied with the requests of the coach, who is a winner and wanted to have a very clear structure,” the 64-year-old stated.
“This is a cycle that has begun and we hope it will continue. Next year we could add a second star (for 20 league titles), it could be a new dream, as winning the Scudetto was this year. It would be nice to continue together, I’m happy at Inter and I’m happy in Milan.”
Marotta had previously worked with Conte during their stint together at Juventus and claimed that his strong personality was part of his appeal as a successful coach.
“The fate of a team is linked to technical management. The winning coaches are unique and have a strong character.
“I had the pleasure of meeting Conte in Turin, I knew he was a winning coach, the comments that were perceived as controversies externally were seen as expressions of motivation for us.
“From this point of view I prefer, as a director, to have a dealing with a individual coach who is a bit more difficult than with a corporate coach, who does not bring results.”
The CEO also hoped that Conte would remain at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza beyond the summer, despite his future being uncertain at the moment.
“Conte’s focus, like ours, is to enjoy the moment. Inter needed such a happy moment, this is the moment to enjoy what has been achieved. Then in due course it is right to meet each other, but this is what all the clubs do at the end of the season.
“It is the moment in which the new season begins, and in the light of an extraordinary situation such as that of the pandemic, which has caused an great economic reduction, careful evaluations are required. This leads to work amongst all areas of the club. Conte feels good at Inter and I hope he can continue here.”
Having worked and achieved success at both Inter and Juventus, Marotta is well placed to consider the similarities and differences between the clubs, with a lack of continuity at the Nerazzurri a factor.
“The history of both clubs is important. At Inter you feel a bit of a difference simply because in these 10 years there have been three changes of ownership and thirteen coaches. We needed stability. As he pointed out, when Conte arrived there was a gap to fill, and he filled it by improving performances.”
Inter recovered from defeat in the Europa League Final last August to bounce back and secure the Serie A title, and Marotta revealed that there had been intense discussions before the campaign started.
“There was a frank meeting between everyone. We said what didn’t work, Conte was very clear and listed what was wrong.
“We started the season with the intention of giving the fans and the club great joy, although maybe we didn’t imagine we would to win with such apparent ease. In this, the team and Conte’s achievement is extraordinary,” Marotta claimed.
