Beppe Marotta is eager to keep winning trophies at Inter and has assured supporters over Lautaro Martinez and Alessandro Bastoni’s futures.
Inter became Serie A champions yesterday for the first time since 2010, after Atalanta were held to a 1-1 draw in an incident-packed match away at Sassuolo.
The Nerazzurri can no longer be caught by Gian Piero Gasperini’s side as they are 13 points clear with four games left, sparking wild celebrations throughout the Inter world last night.
“I created a relationship of trust with the owners (Suning) when I joined Inter and I’d like to continue this journey, which has already delivered very satisfying results,” Inter chief executive Marotta told Sport Mediaset last night, while appearing on ‘Pressing’.
“Inter is one of the greatest clubs in the world and we want to win more trophies for their collection.
“It’s down to us directors to make sure that happens, the process we started with Conte has proved to be a winning formula.”
Conte has transformed Inter’s fortunes since he became the club’s head coach in 2019 and Marotta explained why he had been so keen to bring the former Juventus boss to the Nerazzurri, following Marotta’s arrival the year before.
“I had the pleasure of knowing Conte in Turin and when the possibility arose to start a process with him here at Inter, I suggested his name (to the owners),” Marotta recalled.
“We took a big decision because we already had an important coach under contract in Luciano Spalletti.
“The best coaches are demanding to work with, but even for the club it’s better to have a good coach.
“Conte has always told us to our faces what he thought and he did it for the good of the club, spurring us on to keep pace with him.
“He is a very ambitious person and the most ambitious people have high demands.
“It was important for us to create stability at a club where there have been lots of coaching changes.
“As a manager, it’s better to be working with a coach who has a big personality and Conte certainly has that.
“I knew Conte would get Inter back to winning ways again.”
Marotta discussed his emotions following Inter’s title win and laid down the gauntlet to their rivals ahead of next season.
“The feeling is one of immense happiness, an incredible happiness which repays everything the club has done,” he added.
“This is an extraordinary moment for us, Conte called it a work of art.
“I hope now that Inter can begin a cycle because they deserve it.
“I hope that next year we can fulfil the dream of winning the 20th scudetto because it would mean putting another star on our shirt.
“I’d like to play a key role in securing that star along with everyone at Inter.”
Marotta was asked about Lautaro Martinez and Alessandro Bastoni’s futures as well and he had reassuring words for all the Inter supporters listening.
“We paused every discussion over contracts because we wanted everyone to be focused on the scudetto,” Marotta explained.
“Lautaro is an interesting young player that we’d like to put our faith in for the future, but at the moment we want to focus on our celebrations.
“At the moment we’re not speaking to him or Bastoni because this is the time to enjoy our victory, but there are absolutely no problems.”
Marotta also thanked Inter president Steven Zhang for the work he had done with Suning, since they bought Inter in the summer of 2016.
“The first thing he said to me was ‘we did it’,” Marotta revealed.
“It was an immense satisfaction for him, they’ve put a lot of economic resources into the club.
“Zhang has invested almost €700 million into Inter and this is the result.
“The club has stayed close to us and I think it’s a satisfying moment for them.”