Moratti: I Had a Chance to Buy Napoli, but I Could Not Turn Passion Into a Business Like De Laurentiis

In Serie A Round 3, Napoli will face Inter Milan away from home. A few days before the match, former Inter president Moratti gave an interview to Naples newspaper Il Mattino.

Can you imagine the owner of Inter buying Napoli? More than 20 years ago, this scenario was not impossible. The last four Serie A titles could have been led by the same person — if Massimo Moratti had accepted the invitation and taken over the club after Napoli's bankruptcy, things might have developed that way. The former Inter president revealed this story in an interview with Il Mattino.

Moratti said: "After Napoli went bankrupt, the club decided to restart from Serie C. At the time, a fellow Serie A president woke me up almost before dawn and told me that this was a great opportunity for me to invest in southern Italy and help this historic club rise again.

"But I refused without hesitation. I knew that city and I knew those fans. They did not deserve a president who could not fully manage Napoli and could not devote all his time and passion to it. I already owned Inter at the time and could not be distracted by other things."

Later, Aurelio De Laurentiis took over Napoli and began the club's revival from Serie C, eventually leading the team to two Serie A titles.

Moratti said: "De Laurentiis turned a passion into a business. I could never do that. I was too weak; I could never finish a transfer window without signing a big-name player. But perhaps he is the one who truly understands how the football world works.

"I always admired Napoli during the Maradona era, but at that time there was always a feeling that the glory was closely connected to the Argentine's presence. De Laurentiis started a cycle that did not depend on certain players. He built a healthy, sustainable club capable of winning championships."

On Chivu and Allegri: Chivu has surprised me

This Saturday, Inter, coached by Chivu, will host Napoli, coached by Allegri, at San Siro.

Moratti said: "Allegri is a mature coach. He manages one of the strongest teams in Serie A and knows how to win. Chivu has surprised me. He handles different situations very naturally, even when those situations themselves may not be normal. He knows how to manage the team and is well-liked by the players.

"When he was a player, Mourinho also liked him because he had excellent leadership qualities. He was a coach on the pitch. He suffered a skull fracture, but faced it with the strength of a rock and returned to the field just one month later."

If Moratti were still Inter's president today, he would not have missed a major signing this summer.

Moratti said: "Nico Paz of Como, I would never have let him slip away."

Moratti then discussed Conte's departure from Napoli.

Moratti said: "I know his character, so I was not surprised. Not having Conte on the bench is an advantage for other contenders and will make the title race more balanced. He either finishes first or second."

On Gasperini

Gasperini has achieved excellent results at Roma, but he and Inter during Moratti's time as president did not create a successful partnership.

Moratti said: "He has always been able to make his teams play attractive football. Even this Roma side is enjoyable to watch, and they constantly try to progress through vertical passes. But when he coached my Inter, things were very bad. He was simply unlucky. He did not even win a single friendly match. What could I do? Sometimes a season is just like that, as was the case with Allegri when he coached Milan."