“WITH YOU ON TOP OF THE WORLD.”

Zhang celebrates: “He is the top coach.” Conte: “I will bring this club back to where it deserves.”

Announcement for the new coach is coming chosen, chosen by Chinese ownership to widen Suning’s horizons.

And tomorrow, Conte will meet Zhang senior in Madrid.

Not for everyone because Antonio Conte is not just anyone: he is worthy of this club, of Inter. And today, he will shout this particular message to every Inter fan in the world, to half of the planet, assuming the other half does not care about football. The announcement, the interviews, the social media content, the interaction with Steven Zhang shot in Inter studios, the feeling with Giuseppe Marotta and also today’s (Thursday) trip to Madrid to attend the Champions League final Saturday night at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium: everything will be seen. Conte has already taken over Inter, without stepping on the training pitch even for one minute. He has an international curriculum and so he does not have to.

Conte is Inter coach… no, he is much more than that: he is the cover man that Suning has chosen to widen horizons as much as possible, to place its brand and most importantly that of Inter in a prominent place. And Zhang Jindong’s arrival in Madrid Saturday night is an indication of it considering that since Suning arrived, it has always been the new arrivals (coaches, directors) that go to Nanjing to see the Suning boss. This time, the opposite happens. The announcement of Conte today will be accompanied by some statements of the same coach and Steven Zhang.

Here are the preview of it. First, Inter president takes some time to bid farewell to Spalletti: “I want to thank him for the path that we have taken together over these two years.” And then he welcomes Conte: “I am certain that he is one of the best coaches that exists. I am sure that he will help us achieve our objective which has always been the same: to bring this club back among the best in the world.” In one word: winning.

Former national team and current Inter coach then confesses: “A new chapter in my life has begun, I am enthusiastic. I will try with hard work to return all the trust that the president and club executives have placed in me. I chose Inter for its overall management, for the seriousness and ambition of the project. And also for its history. I was struck by the clarify of this club and the desire to bring Inter back where it deserves.”

Conte and Zhang, in addition to the content that can be seen throughout Inter media channels (later on Friday), have also done an interview with the BBC that will air Friday afternoon and will be relaunched on other continents such as CCTV in China, ESPN in the US and Bein Sports: it is not hard to read Zhang’s desire to take advantage of Conte’s international image, to get the club out of Italian borders as much as possible, and not just through the results in the Champions League.

Conte is the investment that goes further. He is a runaway train that Suning has decided to exploit to win off the pitch as well, flying decidedly higher than the controversy due to the coach’s past. Image counts and who says the opposite does not know about today’s football. If this weren’t the case, Inter would not have accelerated the conclusion of this negotiation with related announcements to close everything on Friday: the idea is to take advantage of the Champions League final to “sell” the image of Conte sitting next to Zhang and the entire Inter leadership.

Looking at the pictures, you will not miss one thing in particular: the slogan of “not for everyone.” It is not a phase thrown away for the occasion but it is the claim, the message that will accompany Inter of the future. From now on, the club’s initiatives will have these three words in mind: the idea is to make it a recognizable phase for all, a bit like how Nike has managed with their “Just do it.” An ambitious goal but in the end the entire club has decided to step up big time. We are one day away from June, one day away from another Inter. It is the foundation of the castle which will also be embellished with the transfer market and time. But with Conte, Inter have decided to sit at the table of a starred restaurant. And it is not for everyone.

Source: GdS