MILAN - Roberto Samaden shared his views on Italian football at the presentation of the Gazzetta Cup on Wednesday.
"Italian football needs initiatives like this. We have to give youngsters the chance to enjoy the game and play football with a smile. That's what this is all about," the Nerazzurri youth academy director said as the eighth edition of the tournament run by La Gazzetta dello Sport and CSI (Italian Sports Centre) was unveiled.
Samaden went on to speak about Inter's own work with youngsters.
"At academy level, the results aren't the true indicator of a club's success. We're happy with our boys and this year there are a number of lads born in 1997 who have made the step up to the professional game.
"It's not easy to promote youngsters to the first team because there's a gap between academy football and professional football. We need a way of easing them into it more gradually, a way to bridge that gap, and reduce the risk of talented players getting lost by the wayside. We strive to produce players who are ready for the first team and Inter is the Italian club with the highest number of academy products who have gone onto to play professionally.
"President Thohir has a wonderful relationship with our academy, just as Massimo Moratti did before him. There's always a big emphasis on youth at a club like Inter and we're sure that tradition will continue long into the future."
The academy chief was then asked to comment on Sunday's match between Juventus and Inter.
"I deal with the youth academy so my main concern is the forthcoming Primavera Coppa Italia final against the Bianconeri. It's always a great game when Inter play Juventus and being able to play in big matches at big stadiums helps our lads to grow."
