JAKARTA - President Erick Thohir was a guest on Indonesian show Satu Jam Lebih Dekat. During his chat on TV One, the Nerazzurri chief discussed the ongoing campaign and his side's future targets: "I believe Roberto Mancini is the right coach for Inter and he's done an excellent job so far. Inter have set new objectives for the coming years, both on and off the field. We have a new management team and we are all aiming to qualify for the Champions League once again. I think Mancini can play his part in that. What matters most in this instance are the results."
Naturally, the club are being linked with a host of names in the January transfer window, something the president was keen to address: "I know the fans would always like us to sign new players. We have a number of players who only joined this summer, however, whereas others have been at the club a bit longer. We don't want to simply buy more players who could then have issues adapting to our system. We made nine new signings who have settled very quickly over the last few months and all credit to Mancini for that.
"We're also proud that the average age of our squad is under 26. I believe we have a young team and we are starting to see stability in the side. Over the next few years the team can become even more solid and gain experience. Some people might be wondering why we sold Kovacic to Real Madrid but that's football. Real Madrid made us an excellent offer and from our side of things, we opted for different players from other clubs. We remain committed to building a competitive side with Mancini."
Finally, a word on Andrea Pirlo: "He's a great player but we have lots of good options in midfield and some exciting young players. Clearly we'll assess all available options in January but, as I've always maintained, we need players who fit the club's project, not just big names."
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