Inter, Zhang’s phone call: scudetto in the derby

In Chinese culture, 7 is considered a very lucky number. And Steven Zhang is about to pull a star out of his pocket: he won’t be in Milan, but in Nanjing he already has the party ready. Celebration for the number 7, the seventh trophy as president, the scudetto which is worth the greatest joy and also the connection to Angelo Moratti for the number of titles won with Inter, the second owner of an increasingly successful team. It’s not a normal week for Zhang. It is not an ordinary period, considering how much and how he is working on the refinancing that will allow him to still keep the Nerazzurri club. And there are hours of waiting, because the derby against Milan has always been the most heartfelt match for Steven.

contact

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“Milan is us,” Zhang has written several times in the past after derby victories. He is ready to do the same again, he is ready to underline once again what he thinks of him, Inter’s city superiority, a rivalry that he cares a lot about. And the reason is clear: in Milan he has many friends and has long immersed himself perfectly in reality. The fact that he follows this derby from a distance does not dampen his emotions. Far from it. Zhang is following the lead up to Monday’s match step by step. He is in daily contact with the managers, as Marotta himself said in the last few hours. He also had the opportunity to exchange ideas with Inzaghi after the match against Cagliari. And it is very likely that in the hours preceding the Scudetto derby he will want to stimulate the group, a bit like he did before the Super Cup final against Napoli in January. He will decide the modalities himself over the weekend, but he will certainly send a message of encouragement to Lautaro and his teammates. Perhaps repeating that slogan dear to him, Milan is us. The president wants the championship in the derby, he wants an unforgettable day in an unforgettable championship. And he will ask the team to fight, to do everything to reach this goal. Steven cares. For at least three reasons that we will try to explain.

the reasons

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First reason, rivalry. Zhang experiences the derby as a fan, even more than as president. Last season the celebration for the double match won in the Champions League against the Rossoneri was enormous, in its view the domination over a city as European as Milan goes beyond pure teasing. It means associating the Inter brand with the city as much as possible, making it recognizable abroad: after all, the Inter Milan brand, in 2021, was born precisely from this need. Second reason: the memory of the title lost two years ago. He is still alive, the disappointment was very strong after two thirds of the season dominated. Winning the scudetto in the derby on Monday would mean overcoming that bitterness on the right. The third reason is in all the distance that Zhang feels with Gerry Cardinale, the number one of RedBird and therefore of Milan. There has never been dialogue between the two, on the stadium issue the different paths taken have distanced the two clubs. And this is excluding the last phone call between the two which took place in February.

refinancing

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But the stadium is not Zhang’s thinking today. In the lead is the championship to be won against Milan, a once-in-a-lifetime chance. The second star is also an opportunity from an economic point of view, the estimate between certain revenues and those deriving from marketing initiatives and brand growth leads to around 50 million euros. But it is certainly not this money that pushes Zhang to stay. It is much more logical to think about the Club World Cup, which will guarantee Inter at least 50 million euros next season: this is not an estimate, it is certain money. To get there, the president is close to closing the refinancing: the announcement of the operation is not expected soon, it will arrive close to May 20, the expiration of the previous loan with Oaktree. We have told you the details in recent days: advanced talks with an Anglo-Saxon fund, probably English, for a new three-year loan and simultaneous farewell to the Californian fund, which will thus be liquidated without being able to enforce the pledge on the club’s shares. Zhang wins, wins again and plans new successes. Seven may be a lucky number, but it’s not time to stop.