Tiago Pinto explained that timing was key to snapping up Romelu Lukaku and Paulo Dybala in the past two summers. He spilled the bean after the Social Football Summit at the Stadio Olimpico (via Fantacalcio).
“We were lucky because other sides didn’t want them (jokingly). I think those two examples, and also the arrival of José Mourinho, attest to the ambition of the ownership despite our economic constraints. We were intelligent in moving at the right time in all three cases. We were very alert. The team work between the brass and the coach made the difference. They’re well aware that they can’t find the same passion anywhere else.”
Pinto went into detail on the Lukaku and Dybala deals.
“I’m always a little afraid of divulging backstories. We wouldn’t have been successful if we hadn’t tussled with other teams at the beginning of the window. We closed both negotiations in the span of five days. You have to be quick to avoid being overtaken by sides with more money. We were a bit lucky too.”
Pinto dished on the emergence of Saudi Arabia.
“Serie A had the best players in the world in the 90s or early 2000s and nobody thought it was overbearing. The Premier League does that currently, and it’s the same thing. It’s a normal development with a slightly different transfer market. The chit-chat among players is a factor too. They like to go where there are other champions.”
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