MILAN – Inter may have surprised a few people with their early-season form but they have every intention of staying at the top now, says Piero Ausilio.
The Nerazzurri currently sit in joint first place after making an impressive start to the campaign, winning eight of their opening 12 games.
Speaking on Gazzetta TV's Prima Pagina show, our sporting director said: "At the start of the season you always hope to win every match but quite honestly I didn't expect to see us at the top of the table. We brought in lots of new players over the summer and it was difficult to imagine us challenging at the top straight away. If we've exceeded expectations it's thanks to Mancini and his players, but we don't want to stop now."
Asked about Mancini's return to the club, Ausilio added: "If we were going to make a change it was only ever going to be for someone like him. He's an international calibre coach besides being an extremely nice person."
The questions quickly turned to the transfer market. Which was the hardest deal to do last summer? "Negotiations for Kondogbia were hard work but they lasted three days, whereas the standoff with Wolfsburg over Perisic went on for ages and there was a real risk it might run aground. Germans are tough negotiators."
Can we expect to see any new signings in January? “We worked well in the summer and I don't believe we need to do much. Mancini is happy with the players he has at his disposal and realises there's a lot more potential within the squad. Mostly we'll be looking to let a few players who haven't played so much go out.
"There are another five or six games to go before then and we're still assessing things. If something needs to be done, president Thohir will give his backing as he always has. However, we mustn't forget that we have signed an agreement with UEFA to respect certain conditions."
Was selling Kovacic Inter's best bit of business? "It was certainly a big piece of business from a financial point of view, but I always feel a tinge of sadness when young, talented players leave. There are certain offers you just can't say no to, though."
Ausilio went on to field questions on a number of different players.
"There's not a lot you can say about Pirlo the footballer. I don't think there's anyone who doesn't rate him but we have to be realistic too. We might not have a player like him in midfield but we have plenty of quality there and numbers-wise we're ok too.
"Candreva is a very good player who is important for Italy as well, but there's nothing going on there. I don't like to waste time and I know it wouldn't be easy to enter into talks with Lazio for that sort of player.
"Berardi is another great player and he supports Inter to boot. But he's a Sassuolo player and his future is pretty clearly set out.
"As for Grujic, I took advantage of the international break to go and watch a game but he wasn't the only player we were watching. He's a talented youngster, one of the best in Europe. We've made contact with the boy, in agreement with his club, but there are no negotiations as such at this stage.
"Sensi is another very interesting player and we generally try to keep an eye on up-and-coming youngsters."
Is Ranocchia set to leave? "Inter need to have lots of top-quality players. We have him, Miranda, Murillo, Juan Jesus, Vidic... They're all quality players and we're glad to have them in our squad. Of course if someone were to ask to leave then we'd sit down and assess things with him but we've never had that sort of conversation with Andrea.
"Montoya is here on loan from Barcelona and he hasn't had much game time yet. We'll look at his situation soon."
Which contract renewal is the closest to happening? "We're down to the last few details with Handanovic now."
Finally, there was a brief comment on Massimo Moratti and president Erick Thohir: "Moratti helped me grow and become the person I am today, He's very knowledgable and can call you at any time of the day for a chat. Thohir is very knowledgable too, especially when it comes to youngsters. He follows foreign players very closely and Dutch and French ones in particular. He's very passionate."
