Inter president will sanction January spend despite €45m loss

Inter will not rule out more spending in January despite registering a loss of more than €45million in their latest financial figures.

While club revenues have grown, Monday’s financial release confirmed a loss of €45.3m in 2015 as a result of spending on transfer fees and wages, as well as part of a UEFA settlement for a previous breach of Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.

President Erick Thohir is content with the business conducted in the previous window, which saw the likes of Ivan Perisic and Geoffrey Kondogbia join in a spell of heavy investment under coach Roberto Mancini, but he has not ruled out more activity in January.

“I believe we have built a good squad and our objective for this year is to get back into the Champions League, so far we’re on track to achieve this aim,” he said.

“We’re pleased with our current squad and the work Roberto Mancini is doing. Of course, there are always going to be comings and goings in January, that’s the nature of this sport. However, we’ll only buy if it’s in the interests of the club. We’ve agreed with Mr Mancini that we shouldn’t bring new players in just for the sake of it.”

“We are genuinely convinced that we’re conforming to the requests,” he added of FFP regulations, which led to a €6m fine for the club earlier this year. “The world of football is changing and we’re working hard to go along with it as well.”

Sporting director Piero Ausilio has denied January will see the kind of player turnover that marked a busy pre-season for Inter, though he too accepts the chance to further improve the team must be taken should it arise.

“It would be a mistake if we were forced to buy and sell players at the same rate as in the summer. We think we’ve built a good squad, complete in every department. Perhaps we’ve even got too many players in some positions and in January we might let a few guys go so they can get more playing time,” he said. 

“In any case, we’re Inter and we always keep up to date with European and global football, so we’re ready to grab the opportunity that might help us to improve the team still further. However, we are convinced that this group is excellent just as it is. They just need to grow together as a team.

“They haven’t had long working together. Things don’t happen out of nothing in football and you need time to allow the guys to develop. With the work Mr Mancini is doing, the team will be where it should be in January and perhaps it won’t be necessary to step in with new additions.”

Thohir has also called on Serie A clubs to follow a financial model of increased investment in order to keep the division competitive on the continent.

“As a club we need to grow, not just from a revenue perspective but also in sporting terms. At the same time, it’s fundamental that Serie A as a whole significantly improves its revenue situation,” he added.

“We’re behind other leagues and if we don’t all pull in the same direction it will be hard for us to have a future.”