Inter Milan president Zhang defends split with Conte

Forum 2 years ago

Inter Milan president Zhang defends split with Conte

Inter Milan president Steven Zhang has defended their split with Antonio Conte.

Conte walked out on Inter just days after winning the Scudetto.

Zhang said, “From the first moment we took over at Inter, we thought Conte would be the best coach for our project and two years ago, we finally managed to bring him to the Nerazzurri. I remain convinced Conte is a winning coach and that's the reason we invested so much on him and the team over the last two years.

“The pandemic had already hit our revenue streams hard last summer, but we continued with him, concentrated on a season we were convinced we could win. It was the right decision. But now the cost of the pandemic is so great that we cannot help but reconsider the situation and try to cut costs. Obviously, that also influences our transfer strategy.

“Our different points of view on that situation led us to this separation. What was not fundamental for him, was for the club. And vice versa. Conte is a top coach, but as a President, I have to think of the solidity of this club.

“Simone Inzaghi has shown over the years that he is a quality coach with experience and can keep our club competitive, which is what we want, but also co-operate with us to ensure Inter remains a solid club that is not at risk. He knows our project, he embraced it and we are very happy to have him here, hoping we can win together."