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MILAN, ITALY – MAY 03: FC Internazionale coach Cristian Chivu celebrates after being confirmed as Serie A match between FC Internazionale and Parma Calcio 1913 at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on May 03, 2026 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
Inter President Beppe Marotta confirms Manuel Akanji will be bought outright from Manchester City and ‘with all due respect for Cesc Fabregas, but Cristian Chivu was our ideal candidate.’
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The Nerazzurri are celebrating their 21st Serie A title, the first to be achieved with Marotta as President, because he was only the director general when they last lifted the trophy in 2024.
You can enjoy the Inter Scudetto celebrations on our Liveblog.
“This is a glorious club that is accustomed to winning, so it is important that we won the title three times in five years with three different coaches,” Marotta told Radio Sportiva.
“It means we have created a winning sporting model.”
Why Inter picked Chivu for new era
Chivu was chosen after Simone Inzaghi asked to walk away just hours after losing the Champions League Final 5-0 to Paris Saint-Germain, as he had already agreed terms with Al-Hilal.
It was reported at the time that they had first approached Como for Fabregas, then turned to Chivu after being told he was not available.
“Inzaghi made the decision to try something different, so we asked ourselves which name to propose,” insisted Marotta.
“We evaluated Chivu as the person who perfectly fit the profile. A coach is a crucial figure and, with all due respect for Fabregas, Chivu represents the ideal candidate because he knows what it means to play and win with Inter.
“He already had Serie A experience and took Parma to safety, so this is why we chose him. It’s true he didn’t have a lot of experience coaching, but we wanted to show courage with this choice.
“Now he is a winning coach who can stay at Inter for many years.”
Before taking the Parma job mid-season, Chivu had been working in the Inter youth academy as a coach, where he got to work with Francesco Pio Esposito.
That proved extremely useful when the youngster impressed at the Club World Cup.
“He asked us to keep Pio Esposito in the squad, another thing we are proud of.”
Meanwhile, it is confirmed that Akanji will be bought outright from Manchester City, as there was a clause in the loan activating the purchase option in case of the Scudetto victory.
“When we negotiated the loan, we did add an option to buy apart from the Scudetto too. We have great respect for him as a player and a man, so he will continue to be in our squad,” concluded the Inter President.
