Thomas Zilliacus, the Finnish entrepreneur who has expressed interest several times in acquiring Inter, has once again spoken about his ambitions to purchase the club.
AN OFFER TO ZHANG
“Yes, I have submitted an offer to Zhang; the offer is on the table. I don’t want to go into details; because I have great respect for Steven. He has done an incredible job; and don’t forget he was only 26 when they took over Inter. He has led the club well, and we see the results today. I believe he deserves respect.”
“I think Inter has enormous potential; coming from a technology background, I have different financial solutions. Inter has 500 million fans; I can bring these fans together and generate new revenues from fans in China, Africa, the United States.
“Now, it’s up to them to respond; maybe they want to keep the club. I don’t want to speak publicly for the others; I just want to present my vision for the club. I am a fan like everyone else. But I don’t want to reveal the details of the offer publicly.”
INTER’S STADIUM
When asked about San Siro: “It’s a legendary stadium. The name San Siro is known worldwide, like the Eiffel Tower or Wembley. I love history and tradition. My first option would be to renovate San Siro.”
“But the stadium as it is, is not sufficient for the club to make money right now. If it could be renovated, it would be perfect. Otherwise, a new stadium would be needed.”
AL THANI
There have been discussions about the possibility that Al Thani will join the Finish businessman in buying Inter, after withdrawing from the acquisition of Manchester United:
“I have been in contact with Al Thani, but everyone must speak for themselves, and I don’t want to speak for him. It’s an option to continue together, but there’s also the possibility of not continuing together. I prefer not to comment further publicly.“
INTER FANS
“There is no club without fans; fans are the club. I wanted fans as shareholders at Manchester United, and I would want the same if I were to succeed in acquiring Inter.”
The results at the beginning of this season are absolutely satisfactory. Everything is positive. The team is very strong, they are the best in Serie A, and the favorite to win the title. The club is also competitive in the Champions League.”
“With me Inter would take another step, we will be contenders for the league and the Champions League every year. We would make it the best club in the world.”
TO THE SCEPTICS
“Skeptics? I like open communication with the fans. Those who don’t want to listen to me can turn off the TV or the internet. But there are many people who want to hear my vision for Inter. I can assure you that many things are happening outside the public eye. Those who want to listen to me can listen to me. Those who don’t want to, are free not to listen to me.”
GREAT PLAYERS COMING TO INTER
What Players would I like to bring? “I am not Inter’s owner; I don’t know if I will ever be. If it were to happen, then that would be the time to talk about what players to get. As of today, Inter has a very good team; there are no players who deserve to be replaced. It would be disrespectful to say such a thing about the current players. The current team is one of the best in the world; in the future, we’ll see.”
