Chivu: "We couldn't do anything about Dumfries. Bastoni is a champion and Gym..."

Cristian Chivu gave an interview to La Gazzetta dello Sport after renewing with Inter until 2028, with the official announcement expected in the coming days. Below is an excerpt from his statements.

Chivu, so is it true what president Marotta says: will you stay at Inter longer than he will?

“If I don’t lose three games in a row, maybe… (laughs, ed.). That’s all it takes and there’s a risk I’ll be sent home earlier. Jokes aside, this is the reality of football, I’ve accepted it for a long time: I understood why players get five-year contracts and coaches only two… The coach is always the first to pay for everything. Whether it’s right or not, that’s how things go.”

Your cycle will evolve in the Champions League

“I would be cautious with certain obsessions, there’s too much talk about this cup. We have to accept our reality and that of other countries. Obviously, we have ambitions, our history demands it, but I would start slowly and I believe the first goal in Europe is to qualify among the top eight in the group and reach the round of 16. Let’s remember there are teams that spend half a billion to win the Champions League and don’t make it, in fact, they might go out in the quarterfinals or round of 16. And there are others like Inter in recent years who reached the end by doing things well.”

In the Champions League you often “moved” Dumfries: are you sorry to see him go?

“Denzel did his part… He had a clause and Inter couldn’t do anything to stop him. We have to be ready to have the solution, the right alternative, and understand what will allow us to make the leap in quality in the future.”

Is this player, by any chance, named Marco?

“Marco Palestra is a great profile but today he’s not my player, so I can’t talk about him… We already have many strong Italians who know what Inter means and identify with the club: that’s a great advantage and it’s a path we want to continue following. However, it’s obvious that we also need other players, a mix that allows you to be competitive at every level.”

A goalkeeper, a defender, a midfielder, a winger: is this your shopping list?

“I’m not doing the transfer market here, that’s up to the directors, but you always need players to improve and, why not, send signals to the group and the environment. We’ve planned everything, there are plan A’s and plan B’s for every role, but then August comes and anything can happen because situations can arise that you didn’t expect. Moreover, in a World Cup summer everything can become an agony…”

On this subject, is Bastoni the best signing for next season?

“Bastoni is our champion. It’s normal that there are transfer rumors around him because for me he’s one of the strongest center-backs in the world. I know what kind of man Alessandro is, but above all I know what he has given, what he gives, and what he will give in the future for us…”