Internazionale Main Thread IV

[Messinterista]

Parma: 'Cassano is ours'
Parma are “proud to say Antonio Cassano is our player and will wear the Number 99 shirt” after a deal with Inter.

The transfer has been in the works for over a week, but was held up by Matias Silvestre’s refusal to move to the Tardini.

However, it seems as if the two clubs have agreed a separate deal exchanging Cassano for 50 per cent of Ishak Belfodil.

“I am proud to say Cassano is our player and will wear the Number 99 shirt,” Parma director Pietro Leonardi told Sky Sport Italia.

“Tomorrow many people will be waiting for him at the official presentation.”

The financial details of the move - and Belfodil's involvement - have not been confirmed, but FantAntonio will be presented at 17.30 UK time on Thursday.

Cassano turns 31 next week and had only been at Inter for a year. He grew up in the Bari youth academy, going through Roma, Real Madrid, Sampdoria, Milan and the Nerazzurri.

Source: http://www.football-italia.net/36036/parma-cassano-ours

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[kros]

Belofidl has signed. I wish him the best of luck. Although I think he has cost us a lot ... he shows to be a promising player. Also, he's young!

That's what we need to do ... invest on young players.

[Lombardiamia]

[Messinterista]

Thohir to buy 75% of Inter?

Tuttosport claim Indonesian businessman Erick Thohir will buy up 75 per cent of Inter’s shares next month.

President Massimo Moratti has confirmed on-going negotiations for investment, but insisted he would maintain the majority share of the club.

According to Tuttosport this morning, Thohir is targeting 75 per cent of the total shares straight away and that could rise to 100 per cent within a few months.

It is reported the deal could be secured as early as the start of August.

Source: http://www.football-italia.net/36124/th ... y-75-inter

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This I find extremely hard to believe.

[kros]

[kros]

It is now official that Stankovic has left Inter. Was heart breaking to read the his letter published on the club's official website. Deki was a complete mf. Good technic, a great fighter and boy if he could shoot! I think all Interisti should join the club in thanking him and wishing him the best of luck for his future.

Buona fortuna Campione!!!

http://www.inter.it/it/news/62835

--

Carissimi tifosi nerazzurri, vi parla il vostro Drago con grande emozione e grande piacere.


Non so se troveroò le parole giuste per salutarvi e ringraziarvi per tutto quello che mi avete dato, a partire dall'affetto, dalla fiducia e dalla sincerità.

Sono stati i dieci anni più importanti della mia vita.

Anni in cui sono cresciuto prima come uomo e poi, con mio grandissimo piacere, come calciatore.

Io e la mia famiglia ringraziamo la famiglia Moratti.

Ci tengo a nominare il mio Presidente in particolare, che mi ha dato l'opportunità di vestire la maglia dell'Inter, con la quale ho avuto il piacere ed il grande onore prima di tutto di indossarla e poi di vincere ogni cosa che c'era da vincere.

Ci sono tantissime persone con le quali sono stato benissimo e con questa lettera li voglio salutare tutti, sempre con queste parole, guardandovi negli occhi, voglio dirvi che rimarrete nel mio cuore per sempre anche se non posso e non voglio nominarvi tutti.

Non dimenticherò mai il giorno in cui sono arrivato, e non potrò mai dimenticare la presentazione con il nostro Presidente onorario Giacinto Facchetti, una grandissima persona sotto tutti gi aspetti. La foto di quel giorno la tengo stretta fra i miei ricordi più cari.

Quel giorno è cominciata la mia vita da nerazzurro.

Se penso che non indosserò più la maglia dell'Inter mi vengono le lacrime, ma sono stato sempre sincero e le mie sono lacrime vere, purtroppo nella vita si deve andare e guardare avanti, voi che mi conoscete sapete che lo farò con grande orgoglio e grande determinazione, come ho sempre cercato di fare nella mia storia di uomo e di atleta.

In tutti questi anni a Milano ho giocato con grandissimi calciatori e soprattutto con grandissimi uomini, è difficile trovare le parole per ringraziare di nuovo tutti.


Ho avuto l'onore di indossare questi colori che rimarranno per sempre sulla mia pelle, non lo potrò mai cancellare, nessuno potrà mai cancellarlo.

Con tutto il mio amore.

Dejan Stankovic

[Lombardiamia]

Of course. Stankovic will always be well remembered by all the Interisti of our generation.

[Messinterista]

Ciao Deki.

[Totally FRANK]

He scored some amazing goals for us. The long range effort against Schalke and the one from a corner against Milan are my personal favorites.

[red]

The goal against Schalke is up there with the best I've seen in person.

Cracking player was Stankovic. Don't seem to get all-rounders like that any more.

[Lombardiamia]

[Totally FRANK]

Diego Laxalt, 20 years old, Left Midfield, Internazionale

Laxalt may still be very raw but it is clear that the Uruguayan has the potential to be a very good player. His surging runs down the wing were a constant worry to the Spanish side and while he had a tendency to rush his final pass, an improved sense of judgement should come with experience.

Technically, he is strong and he has the ability to beat players in confined spaces, as well as enough speed to simply beat his man in a foot race. Importantly, though, he is dedicated to his defensive duties and was able to offer fullback Gianni Rodriguez excellent protection throughout, much to the frustration of Jese and Javi Manquillo on the Spanish right side.

At Inter, he will likely be earmarked for the left wingback position currently contested by Japanese Yuto Nagatomo and Alvaro Pereira. It is likely that opportunities will be few and far between at first -- assuming that both positional rivals remain -- but it is conceivable that with a few solid performances the club may decide to ship the aging Pereira out.

Laxalt's task will be one of learning to be more patient in possession and also the positional responsibilities of wing-back play. At 2.8 million euros, though, he looks like an excellent long-term capture.

Link: http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/thescouts ... 16?cc=5901

[Lombardiamia]

Saw him a couple of times in this U20 Championship. He likes to go forward a lot and helps to try regain possession immediately (in opposition's half). However indeed he makes silly mistakes when going forward, technically not so brilliant either. I think that to reach his potential, he needs to first build up his physique... he's too thin for that role and he needs a good couple of years playing regularly with a mid-table club to become more tactically astute.

[red]

[Lombardiamia]

[kros]

Lets try and do a summary of the transfer market with first team movements:

In
--
Campagnaro
Andreolli
Botta
Icardi
Belfodil
Laxalt
Duncan (back from loan)
Mariga (back from loan)

Out
-----
Stankovic
Gargano
Rocchi
Benassi (loan)


Probably soon to leave
--------------------------------
Kuzmanovic
Schelotto



Targets
----------
Isla
Naingolan

[Messinterista]

Schelotto, Duncan, Bardi and Longo will probably go out on a loan.
Fingers crossed we can sell Chivu, Silvestre and Kuzmanovic.

Also, WTF is this talk of us looking to sell Ranocchia with interested parties including Juve, Milan, Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham. Seriously, our management have rocks in their heads.

[RomaShield27]

A Flawed Legacy: The Moratti Family And Calcio
/ Published On: Thu, Jul 11th, 2013 Features / Inter / By Richard Hinman

One of the most influential and controversial families in Italian sport, the Moratti dynasty hold a unique and contentious place in Calcio history.

The story begins with Angelo Moratti, who after making his fortunes in oil, became president of Inter in 1955.

The team had been in the shadow of their city rivals AC Milan after limited success on the European stage, despite sporadic league titles. Moratti was set on conquering the continent and creating a legacy at the club. He would do both in equal measure.

The man who Moratti trusted to oversee this transformation was Argentinian coach Helenio Herrera. Having arrived from Barcelona in 1960, Herrera was joined by the then European player of the year Luis Suárez, who he coached in Spain.

Herrera introduced a 3-5-2 formation and a defence first attitude to the Nerazzurri. The team gradually improved and won the league title in the 1962/63 season. In the same year, Moratti’s hard work off the field came to fruition when a new training centre was built that would bear his name.

Moratti and Herrera were building a team that included some of the club’s greatest players of the era. The likes of Giacinto Facchetti, Armando Picchi, Sandro Mazzola and of course Suárez graced the San Siro pitch at the peak of their powers.

Inter finally achieved their ultimate goal with a European Cup triumph against the great Real Madrid in 1964. A year later, Inter defeated another European great in another European Cup final, this time it was Benfica. After both successes, Inter backed them up with the Intercontinental Cup.

The side of the 1960s could claim to be one of the greatest teams in Italian history and Moratti had secured his place in Inter folklore. Yet, the side’s legacy has been tainted by controversy.

British newspaper The Times reported in 2003 that Angelo Moratti chose and then placed huge pressure upon Hungarian referee Gyorgy Vadas in 1965 in an attempt to fix a European Cup tie against Malaga.

It was also claimed that Inter had made similar match-fixing attempts in the European competition during both of the previous seasons. Brian Glanville, who researched and wrote the article, once said of Inter’s success in Europe in the early 1960s was “the fruit of bribery and corruption in which Angelo Moratti played a crucial part in a process implemented by two men Deszo Szolti, the Hungarian fixer and Italo Allodi Inter’s sporting director.”

In the aftermath of the Times report, ex- player Ferruccio Mazzola also alleged that there was a systemic use of illegal, performance enhancing drugs at the club under Angelo Moratti.

Mazzola won a legal case in 2010, and Inter decided not to appeal against the decision. This was taken by many in the Italian media as a declaration of Inter’s guilt although there has been no confession since.

Angelo Moratti step down as president in 1968 and died in 1981. He would never face the storm that many claim he created. However, he remains one of the influential men in the history of Inter who transformed the club into a great European side.

Massimo Moratti, son of Angelo, took over the club in 1995. He had a similar remit as his father, for Inter to dominate both Italy and Europe.

Massimo did like his father and enticed some of the best players in the world to the San Siro. He twice broke the world transfer record when recruiting Ronaldo from Barcelona and Christian Vieri from Lazio. Other notable names brought to the club in the early years of Moratti’s reign include Hernan Crespo, Angelo Peruzzi and Juan Sebastien Veron, just to name a few.

Yet, this led to only limited success for the club. In fact, Massimo Moratti over saw one of the most baron spells of Inter’s history between 1995 and 2004, with only a UEFA Cup in 1998 to show for the huge amounts of money invested in the club.

This steered Massimo Moratti into a trait that could not have been further from the model set out by his father, that of sacking coaches. Angelo Moratti stuck with Herrera despite a relatively slow start, yet Massimo got rid of many big names in pursuit of success including Marcello Lippi and Hector Cuper.

The appointment of Roberto Mancini in 2004 was a turning point in the presidency of Massimo Moratti. Mancini quickly brought success to Inter and domination of Serie A began for the club. The arrival of players of the calibre of Zlatan Ibrahimovic took the side to another level.

However, failures in Europe ultimately cost Mancini his job in 2008. This ruthless decision by Moratti was to prove justified.

Jose Mourinho was brought in to give Moratti what he craved, the Champions League. In his first season Mourinho won the league, but did not deliver in Europe. Ahead of the 2009/10 season pressure was mounting on Moratti.

The season proved to be the greatest in the club’s history as the Nerazzuri became the first team in Italy to win Serie A, the Coppa Italia and the Champions League all in one season. The great Barcelona team fell in the semifinals of Europe’s premier competition before a final victory over Bayern Munich in Madrid, who themselves were one step away from a treble.

Since the Champions League triumph and the departure of Mourinho, Inter have declined. Managers and players have come and gone but Moratti has remained, although even his future at the club is now in doubt.

Recently, it has emerged that Indonesian business man Erick Thohir is close to a deal to buy part of Inter, which could spell the end of Massimo Moratti’s time in control of the club. However, his legacy at the club is assured.

Yet, like his father, the legacy that he has created is tainted by match fixing scandals.

In the wake of the Calciopoli, counter claims were made against Inter. This issue has split Italian football, with some claiming Inter are innocent victims in a scandal they had nothing to do with. Others believe that Inter were the main instigators behind the wrongdoings.

The outspoken nature of Moratti has not helped to cool the situation with the current Inter president often accusing the Italian authorities and referees of favouring Juventus and other clubs ahead of the Nerazzurri.

The Moratti family will go down in Italian football history and brought some of the greatest players in the world to the club and the two most successful periods of the club’s 105 year identity. For others, particularly Milan and Juventus fans, they shamed Italian football by overspending on foreign players and being at the heart of match fixing scandals.

With the on-going nature of the scandals that loom over the Moratti legacy, it could be some time before a definitive view of the pair is cast.

Follow Richard Hinman on Twitter: @RichardHinman

[Totally FRANK]

Our targets also include Dragovic, the Austrian defender. Looks like we already have an agreement for him with Basel but we are dragging our legs before signing him and Basel are getting frustrated.

It would be really stupid for us to sell Ranocchia when we have the likes of Chivu in the squad.

[Lombardiamia]