MILAN – Erick Thohir officially opened Inter Store Milano this morning at the traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony.
"It's a very important day for us," the president explained. "27 May is a special date – Inter won two European Cups on this day.
"This is a beautiful store and it has special significance because Milan is a very famous city internationally – not just for the football but for also business, fashion and lifestyle.
"Football is changing, becoming more and more global. We're in a new era and we're lucky to be going through this transformation. We have been Brothers of the World since 1908 so we can say we were the first to think globally.
"With the support of the fans and all the people who work for the club, we have to get back into the Champions League. We went close this year but it wasn't a perfect season. We must fight and next year we have to build a new story.
The Inter Forever legends here know exactly what it means to wear the Nerazzurri jersey. It's not easy but we want to get back among the world's top ten clubs. We must believe in the future by remembering our history – it's fundamental to help us grow.
"Finally, I'd like to thank Nike for working with us. Thank you everyone.”
After the event Erick Thohir spoke to some of the journalists present.
"It's important to have this official store open as we now have two – one in the centre of Milan and the other at San Siro. It's perfect for the fans. The location is fantastic, it's a bigger store and fans can get match tickets here."
On talks with Suning: "It's important to have a strategic partner. Football is growing not only in Asia but also in other parts of the world. Strategic partners can help to build Inter bigger and bigger."
On the transfer window and the Inter's targets: "I can't say anything until it's done but we will sign some good players. Qualifying for the Champions League was one of our targets for this season and it will be a target next season too. Getting into the Champions League would have been perfect but it was still a good season because we went from eighth to fourth.
"We believe in Mancini – he's doing an excellent job. Points-wise we've improved a lot compared to last year but if you want to be playing in the Champions League regularly you need to aim for 70-73 points every season. It's important for us to get back to that level and that's why we've put together a top management team."
On meetings with Mancini, Ausilio and Gardini: "I won't see Mancini this weekend because he doesn't get back from his holiday until Monday but I'll see him in June.
"Every time I come here I hold meetings both on the sports side and the commercial side. We're talking at length about our squad – we need to be sure we have a squad that can compete not only in Italy but in Europe too. You can't do that if you don't respect Financial Fair Play, otherwise we could end up like teams such as Galatasaray. We have a good core of players to build around. We have strategies on the sporting side and for the management and we want to achieve our targets on both sides."
Roberto Mancini is a known admirer of Yaya Toure. What do you think of him? "Players that come to Inter have to understand the jersey and respect the colours. We've brought in lots of players since January 2013. Players come and go because – and this is my personal view – wearing the Inter jersey is not easy. That's why I thanked the Inter legends today because they bring the history of our club with them and share it with our players."
What about the futures of Handanovic, Murillo and Brozovic?
"They are important for the team, as are Icardi, Kondogbia, Medel, Perisic, Eder and others. I don't think we'll change eight of our starting 11, but we might change one or two. The core is there and we have to protect it while respecting Financial Fair Play – but that doesn't mean we have to lose our core players."
