Marotta: ‘Frattesi did not demand transfer, Inter not looking for excuses’ | OneFootball

Inter President Beppe Marotta assures they are not looking for ‘excuses’ after their Supercoppa Italiana defeat and reveals Davide Frattesi ‘has not told us he wants to leave.’

The game with Venezia kicks off at the Stadio Penzo at 14.00 GMT.

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from today’s four Serie A games on the Liveblog.

It was a difficult opening to 2025 for the Nerazzurri, who had been 2-0 up against rivals Milan in the Supercoppa Italiana Final in Riyadh on Monday, only to throw it all away in a 3-2 stoppage-time defeat.

“This is a mature squad that unfortunately cannot win all the time. It was coincidentally an important game they lost, but this today is equally important and these are professionals accustomed to the pace of the campaign,” Marotta told DAZN.

Hakan Calhanoglu, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Yann Bisseck, Francesco Acerbi and Joaquin Correa are all out of action, with Marcus Thuram and Benjamin Pavard only fit for a spot on the bench.

“Losers seek excuses for defeat, whereas winners seek solutions. The team and coach certainly took fresh motivation and learned lessons from Riyadh, so regardless of the injuries, the team needs to play with extra fire today.”

Marotta assures Frattesi open to Inter stay

epa11606524 FC Inter’s Davide Frattesi on the ground during the Italian Serie A soccer match between AC Monza and FC Inter, in Monza, Italy, 15 September 2024. EPA-EFE/ROBERTO BREGANI

The transfer window is open and there are growing reports that Roma and Napoli are in negotiations to sign Inter midfielder Frattesi.

However, Marotta reveals this is not going to be a situation that Napoli are dealing with, where Khvicha Kvaratskhelia demanded a January exit.

“Frattesi is a good lad and a great professional, he certainly did not demand a transfer. We generally don’t want to sell anyone, but when a player manifests his desire to make a change, naturally we listen and look around. So far, Frattesi has not told us he wants to leave.”

Inter are known for planning ahead, which is how they manage to secure so many free agents, so Marotta was asked if they were already laying the groundwork for the summer session.

“Our directors Ausilio and Baccin are looking to the future from the first day of pre-season training. There will not be a revolution in the summer, but there is going to be a development. We have a competitive squad right now, we need to see what opportunities arise that are suited to our financial and technical requirements.”