Hakan Calhanoglu shared a message in Inter’s group chat as soon as Beppe Marotta was named the new club President on Tuesday, expressing the team’s happiness.
Marotta’s appointment came on Tuesday morning, following the announcement by Inter’s new owners, Oaktree, who also named their board of directors. Calhanoglu, an influential player for Inter, was the first to publicly comment on this significant change. He shared his thoughts after an international friendly against Italy at the Stadio Dall’Ara in Bologna.
Calhanoglu told Sky Sport Italia, “I already sent a message in the group chat. We are happy. Marotta is always important to us. He’s always done great things for the club.”
Marotta, who has been with Inter since 2018, has overseen the club’s victory in five trophies, including two Serie A titles. His new role comes after American fund Oaktree took control of the club, following Steven Zhang’s failure to repay a debt of nearly €400m, including interest.
Before his time at Inter, Marotta served as CEO at Juventus from 2010 to 2018.
Calhanoglu’s Turkey held Italy to a 0-0 draw in Bologna. The 31-year-old midfielder also spoke about his expectations for Euro 2024 and expressed hope for Nicolò Barella’s quick recovery from a minor injury that kept him out of the recent friendly.