Inter Milan chairman Erick Thohir has asked fans to give Asian owners a chance and that prudence is the recipe for success amid huge spending by city rivals.
Italian soccer fans have always known their top clubs to be owned by nationals but then the Asians have taken over. Juventus used to be under the Agnelli family for decades but they have been sold to a Chinese consortium. AC Milan was under Silvio Berlusconi for decades as well but now under Chinese investors. This is the same situation as Inter have new owners.
Thohir is preaching against the belief that the cheque book will bring instant success to Inter. The Indonesian media mogul opines that the Nerazzurri have been spending money wisely and that they are set for more successes.
Thohir said for Milan, the new investors do not believe in the team so they are cleaning out their closet unlike them that still have confidence in the players. The owner says the club would not spend more than their revenue this season.
Since the treble under Jose Mourinho, the fans have been clamouring for top players and coaches to return to help them to more titles. When Thohir took over players like Gary Medel, Ivan Perisic and Geoffrey Kondogbia joined to replace the againg Esteban Cambiasso, Cristian Chivu and Javier Zanetti. He said he believed in the team but he had to replace them with the modern demands of football.
The club boss is confident that with the majority stake acquired by Suning Holdings Group, investments in the club would start yielding fruit. He asked for calm from the fans, that the club was spending smartly and building steadily to success.