Inter still had their demons when I was in charge, says Ranieri

May 25, 2012 1:49:00 PM

The former Juventus boss also revealed that Massimo Moratti was intent on bringing Carlos Tevez to the club in January

Claudio Ranieri says that letting Thiago Motta leave for Paris Saint-Germain was the biggest mistake of his ill-fated spell at Inter, a time plagued by "demons".

The former Juventus boss took up the reins at San Siro after Gian Piero Gasperini was fired after just three months in charge.

After initially steadying the ship at the former European Champions, Ranieri's side soon lost form, and the 60-year-old was subsequently sacked in March.

Looking back on his time at the club, Ranieri believes that letting Thiago Motta leave was the biggest mistake that he made, and implied that there was strife between himself and the club's management.

"In January, when I gave the green light to the sale of Thiago Motta, I knew I was losing an important piece of the puzzle, a player who gave us balance. We wanted to get a winger, but it wasn't possible," he told Corriere dello Sport.

"Why didn't I oppose it? Because I knew that I had arrived at a particular moment in the economic management of Inter.

"I came to Inter in a very special year for the club. There were still demons at the club. I got the machine running again, but then it stopped."

Meanwhile, Ranieri confirmed that he wanted to make a January move for Siena youngster Mattia Destro, but was prevented from doing so by club president Massimo Moratti, who was intent on bringing Carlos Tevez to Serie A.

"Moratti told me on more than one occasion that he wanted to sign Carlos Tevez from Manchester City," he continued. "If it was up to me, I would have tried to bring Mattia Destro back to the club instead."

Andrea Stramaccioni took over after Ranieri lost his job, and managed to guide to Inter to a sixth-place finish in Serie A, securing a Europa League spot.

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