Mourinho wants new signings at Inter Milan
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Your support makes all the difference.Inter Milan must keep striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic as well make new signings if they are to make a credible challenge for the Champions League next season, coach Jose Mourinho said on Sunday.
Inter celebrated their fourth title in row and 17th in total, but the season was overshadowed by the team's poor showing in Europe, where Manchester United eliminated Mourinho's side in the quarterfinals.
Mourinho said he was hopeful of pairing the Swede with new signings in a bid to lead Inter to its first win in Europe's premier club competition since 1965.
"There are two or three players that we are after, plus we have to replace Adriano," Mourinho said. "We played the same midfield — (Javier) Zanetti, (Sulley) Muntari, (Esteban) Cambiasso and (Dejan) Stankovic — for the whole season. If we lost one it was a disaster.
"I think Ibra will stay with us," Mourinho said. "With him and these three players (we will sign) we will be much better, but we need him. We need to bring in the type of player we don't have at the moment."
Mourinho initially tried to replicate the 4-3-3 system that brought him success with Chelsea, but when that didn't work he reverted to a 4-3-1-2 formation.
Mourinho said he hoped that next season he could introduce more tactical flexibility into his midfield.
"In defense we are OK, but in midfield we need quantity and quality," he said. "Our midfield has done excellently, but we need more, especially in the Champions League where the tempo is higher.
"If I want to go with three in midfield we need specific players who can play in this system."
Two of the stars of Inter's championship win were defender Davide Santon and striker Mario Balotelli, who both came through the club's youth system.
Along with veteran defender Marco Materazzi, they are the only Italians among a large group of Argentines and Brazilians, but Mourinho said he hopes to bring through more of Inter's young talent.
"The day I leave Inter I hope it is a day when the team is built around Italians," Mourinho said.
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