Inter striker Andrea Pinamonti has said that he won’t celebrate if he scores for Empoli against the Nerazzurri on Friday evening, according to a report in the Italian media today.
Speaking during an interview on Gianluca Di Marzio’s website, the Empoli forward explained that he wants to increase his already impressive goal tally for the season but he will not be celebrating at San Siro if he finds the back of the net on Friday.
“I want to increase my tally in Serie A between now and the end of the season, but if I were to score at Inter I wouldn’t be jubilant out of respect for the club that raised me.
“This is my best year, the facts say so. It was a fundamental season for me, I needed confidence and new stimulation and Empoli gave me all this. I hope I have repaid the initial trust. But I think this is a starting point to do seasons at this level and higher from now on.”
The player admitted that he was not sure about joining Empoli on loan, saying: “At first I was not so convinced of going to Empoli, I’m honest. Then I met the director in person and after a chat with him I decided to accept.”
Andrea Pinamonti is a client of the recently deceased Mino Raiola and he opened up about his relationship with the agent.
“It was a very big blow, I really had a special relationship with him. He was like a father. Especially with the younger lads he was a reference point that you could always count on, both on and off the pitch.
“You had to experience Mino to really understand what a wonderful person he was. Many speak from hearsay, but only those who experienced him can really tell the story.”
Inter are keen on signing Sassuolo forward Gianluca Scamacca and he is a player that Andrea Pinamonti knows well from their time together as youth players in the national team setup.
“We have a friendly relationship, we’ve done all the training with the national youth teams together. We speak to each other every now and then on the phone, not every day, but this year we congratulated each other after a goal.
“But there’s no animosity, envy or dualism between us, as many people say. One doesn’t exclude the other, in fact I’d like to reform the Pinamonti-Scamacca duo with the national team.”
Andrea Pinamonti had a close relationship with former Inter striker Mauro Icardi and he recalls how the Argentine let him stay at his flat.
“Mauro Icardi has been a point of reference since I started training with the first team at Inter. He helped me a lot on and off the pitch and I want to remember him. He was the captain, he was living the best moment of his adventure at Inter but he always had an eye on me.
“For example, at the beginning of the year he put his flat at my disposal until I found my own place in Milan. Sometimes he would drive me to Pinetina when I didn’t have my licence, then Skriniar became my driver.”
Andrea Pinamonti’s future is certainly up in the air right now but he is just focused on playing for Empoli and scoring goals.
“I’m not thinking about that now. I’m enjoying a year full of satisfaction, in which I’ve achieved the goals I set myself. It’s been a long time since I’ve had this serenity and this stable, carefree happiness. My future is holidays by the sea, then we’ll see.”
