APPIANO GENTILE - The final news conference ahead of the final game of the 2014/15 season. Roberto Mancini faced journalists at the Centro Sportivo Angelo Moratti on the eve of Inter v Empoli and began by speaking about his future. "The transfer market is crucial, but I am 100% staying; that's for sure.
"The president wants the team and Inter to improve as well, just like everyone at the club. I have complete faith in him and in everyone who works here. I don't think you buy Inter just for the sake of it, you do it because you want to bring the club back to the top and that will be the case.
"It has been an honour working with Lukas Podolski, he is a top professional," the coach went on to say. "He did everything possible in these five months and I thank him for what he has done."
Speaking about potential transfers, Mancini said: "Toure is a Manchester City player. When players are still under contract, it's not so easy to bring them here. Sometimes negotiations begin and you reach an agreement, sometimes you don't."
Turning to the Nerazzurri's current crop, there's no question about Kovacic. The aim, however, is to build a strong squad. "Mateo is at the centre of our project and our team, no doubt about it. You never know what may happen, but what is certain is that we will develop a squad strong enough to compete for the top positions next year.
"We hope all our good players will stay. The defence needs some new additions, but I think that we can work on improving with the players we already have. Fresh faces will arrive, but the guys who are already here will stay and push on. Results are what matters, and they have been poor, but the team has improved a great deal over the last few months.
"I believe all the players can give even more than they already have. Kovacic certainly can. Icardi has got a lot better but he still has huge room for improvement. Rodrigo Palacio also has more to give, he will rest up for a month and then he'll be able to start again from zero after his efforts in the World Cup last year. Medel has surprised me the most. And Nagatomo always trains fantastically; he can still get better, but he's already at a great level. He will also be able to rest ahead of next season."
The start of next season is fast approaching and the Nerazzurri will get immediately down to business. "There's work to do, we'll have a month of really intense work and we'll start our preparations early. I'm disappointed the season has finished and we don't have any more matches to climb higher up the table. It's always a shame when the season comes to end; that's how it is for people who love this job. It's crucial to have the players together from the start of the training camp, although we have a few who are off to the Copa America and will arrive late. Getting them together for 5 July will be important. Those fifty days of preparation are fundamental."
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