Inter’s former president Ernesto Pellegrini has described Antonio Conte as ‘an insurance’ for the Nerazzurri and backed the club to return to winning ways under Suning.
Pellegrini was Inter’s owner when they won the Serie A title under Giovanni Trapattoni in 1989, breaking a series of league records along the way.
The 78-year-old assured Conte would not have a problem winning fans over despite his Juventus past.
“Trapattoni was a Juventus man as well but the fans instantly took to him,” Pellegrini told Radio Sportiva.
“Conte has won league titles and done a great job wherever he’s gone. He’s a strong character who knows how to motivate his players and has a great will to win, the same desire Interisti have.
“Inter are proving they want to invest and build a strong team under Suning. They have a strong management in place, too.
“I’m a big admirer of Beppe Marotta, I believe he is the best Italian manager out there. I like Alessandro Antonello as well.”
Pellegrini backed Inter’s pursuit of Nicolo Barella but appeared to criticise the club for their handling of Mauro Icardi.
“Barella is certainly a great player and I hope he joins Inter,” he added.
“In my time at Inter we had a rule which banned players from talking about money while the season was going on. The incident with Icardi wouldn’t have happened under my presidency.”
Pellegrini also urged Inter and Milan not to demolish San Siro and replace it with a new stadium, before revealing which of his title-winning players he would want the Nerazzurri to have today.
“San Siro is a symbolic location in Milan and it would be a shame to knock down a place where so many great players have played,” he concluded.
“If I could give one of ‘my’ players to this Inter side it would be Lothar Matthaus without a doubt. He carried that team.”