🚨 Thomas Zilliacus interview with L’Interista:
🎙️ Zilliacus on his tweet about taking over #Inter with Sheikh Jassim Al Thani: “I’ll explain. It all starts with an offer I made for Manchester United last spring. In due course, I came to the same conclusion that Sheikh Jassim Al Thani must have now come to. That is, the Glazers weren't serious about selling. In April I announced that I would not go ahead with the negotiations. My previous offer was still there on the table, but I warned them that I wouldn't make any more. As I said, my feeling was that the Glazers were not serious about selling.”
[via @fcin1908it]

🎙️ Zilliacus: “At that point I said to Jassim: why don’t we join forces and make an offer for a better club? For me, investing in a football club is not a matter of image, to buy trophies: some people do it for that. For me it's something more. I have been part of football all my life: I have been a player, a coach and also an owner. I love football and I think the first thing to do is to try to improve the club, from year to year. #Inter was born in 1908, it has existed much longer before than when we were all born, and it will be there for a long time even after our death. I only see myself as a potential custodian of an institution.”
[via @fcin1908it]

🎙️ Zilliacus on whether Sheikh Jassim will answer his tweet publicly: “You’re right! I’m sure he won’t respond via Twitter. But you know, I'm Scandinavian, I come from a very open culture of communication. I started my professional life as Global Head of Communications for Nokia: I like communication of this kind. Let’s say that when I saw this news I thought, ‘Okay, this is something I can’t avoid commenting on’. On social media, when someone asks me something I can express my point of view there, but when it comes to serious business negotiations well, there is nothing public there anymore, those must be done in private, in confidence. And when results come, then they can eventually be announced.”
[via @fcin1908it]

🎙️ Zilliacus on making any bids for other clubs: “No, just for these two: #Inter and United. It is very important to me to find a club with a large, global fanbase. I know I can create great profits for the clubs starting from these fans, providing them with the services they want. I’ve been contacted by many clubs, but my answer was, ‘If you don't have a large, global fanbase, I don’t care about it’.”
[via @fcin1908it]

🎙️ Zilliacus on his plan to make #Inter the ‘best club in the world’: “I think first of all, to lead a club you have to understand football. As I said, I was a player, coach and owner. I think I know this sport very well, in short. #Inter have excellent management, starting with Beppe Marotta, up to the whole team, they are good. I think an owner needs to give support to the management. Inzaghi is also very good at his job. Then it takes something else to build a team.”
[via @fcin1908it]

🎙️ Zilliacus: “First of all it takes money and as I said, I know how to generate it, I know how to create great revenues by providing services to the fans. Together with Sheikh Jassim Al Thani, if we joined forces, I know, and I emphasize that I do not believe, but I know for sure, that we would generate a lot of money. By generating money we would give the club the chance to buy the best players in the world. I specify that I don’t like to follow the style of, for example, Paris Saint Germain, which I see buying the big stars all the time, but without creating a real group.”
[via @fcin1908it]

🎙️ Zilliacus: “In my opinion everyone has to be ready to fight for the team, which comes first. It’s always the team, it doesn’t matter the individual glory or prestige of a player. You can’t have too many stars, you have to have good players, willing to work for the group. Then those players also cost money, so with the right fans, the right management and the right coaches, I think #Inter could become the best team in the world.”
[via @fcin1908it]

🎙️ Zilliacus on the Zhang family not being willing to sell the club: “I think everything is on sale when the price is right. The Zhang family is doing a fantastic job. There are always people ready to criticize, whatever you do and for what I see, they are doing a great job, even if as always there is no shortage of those who bring criticism. Steven and his family are financially supporting #Inter and have made it what it is now: a top team in Europe. They deserve great credit now.”
[via @fcin1908it]

🎙️ Zilliacus: “Suning has been in the presidency for more than seven years, maybe now they will want to take care of something else. If there was a good offer, a serious group that was willing to keep making #Inter grow, then I think the Zhang family is willing to sell. I am in fact convinced that the Zhangs love #Inter and that they also want to see the club continue to improve. So I think for them it's a matter of money, but also of finding the right people to give in to.”
[via @fcin1908it]

🎙️ Zilliacus on the rumoured €1.3B offer: “I can’t say if it was a real offer, I know there were a lot of rumors about it, that Investcorp was willing to buy #Inter. Rumors circulated in the media, and the rumors are sometimes true, sometimes less so. I cannot therefore comment on it. As I said though, I know that the Zhang family loves #Inter, so if there were the right people willing to offer what they think is the right price, then I think they could listen. The work they've done is really great, I’ll explain why.”
[via @fcin1908it]

🎙️ Zilliacus: “China is now a very big market for #Inter fans. I mean: there are a lot of Inter fans in China. And as I said this is a crucial aspect for me. If Steven were willing to continue with even a smaller percentage, I would be pleased. It could be good news because I think that for #Inter having a good reference team is a very positive thing for the future prospects, for the fans. I am open to discussing any kind of corporate structure, with Sheikh Jassim Al Thani, with Steven Zhang and with any partner who can bring real added value to the club.”
[via @fcin1908it]

🎙️ Zilliacus on which player he would bring to #Inter: “It's hard to say just one. In football you have to win games and you have to score goals. To do this you need very good attackers. For me, and I'm not saying this just because I'm Scandinavian, Erling Haaland is an absolute superstar, I'd love to see him in the #Inter jersey.”
[via @fcin1908it]

🎙️ Zilliacus on where #Inter would be able to afford these superstar names: “Yeah, that's what I mean. Today it may not be possible, but that is why I was happy when I saw that Sheikh Jassim would not continue negotiations with United. I think #Inter is an even more attractive club. In conclusion, the Sheikh loves football and must not forget that #Inter are in Italy.”
[via @fcin1908it]

🎙️ Zilliacus on why #Inter being Italian makes a difference: “Yes, we're talking about a fantastic country, with all due respect to England: I think Italy has much more to offer than England in all aspects of life, from culture, to history, to food, to fashion. We are talking about a city like Milan. Which attracts both players and investors from all over the world.”
[via @fcin1908it]