Italian football agent Andrea Pastorello has revealed that Inter president Steven Zhang needed convincing before signing off on a loan deal to bring in defender Francesco Acerbi.
The Italy international joined Inter from Lazio this summer after lengthy negotiations and has established himself as first choice under coach Simone Inzaghi, having previously worked under him at the Aquile.
In an interview with Tuttomercatoweb.com, Pastorello admitted that it took the efforts of CEO Beppe Marotta and sporting director Piero Ausilio to convince Zhang that an additional centre-back was required to give Inter greater options in defence, but this has since been vindicated.
“They absolutely were the ones to convince Zhang, they are managers who have the pulse of the situation from a technical point of view and had realised the need to have an important reinforcement in defence. The following months proved them right,” Pastorello claimed.
Meanwhile, the agent also suggested that the arrival of Alessio Romagnoli at Lazio from AC Milan was the final piece in the puzzle that allowed Acerbi to complete a deadline day switch to Inter, although his deteriorating relationship with the club aided the move too.
“The starting point was a renewal that came after an important season for him and for Lazio. Then there were some episodes with the fans that created the first cracks, but what made the difference was above all Romagnoli’s arrival at Lazio.
“There were some technical situations that favoured his departure. On the other hand, Inter badly needed a central defender and today he is a fundamental element in Inzaghi’s armoury.
“So this opportunity opened up, born out of a technical need and the negotiation went ahead despite the objective difficulty in setting up this operation,” he added.
Acerbi has made 14 appearances for Inter this season, including nine in Serie A.
