Ferrero: “Montella is a winner, I’m proud”

It was striking to see the Blucerchiati president so excited and moved at the unveiling of new manager Vincenzo Montella this morning.

After requesting a moment’s silence in memory of the victims of the Paris attacks, Massimo Ferrero took centre stage. “Montella is here because he loves the club. I’m proud to be next to a winner like him. He will invest passion and heart into this job, I can only thank him for accepting our offer.

“I’d like to thank Walter Zenga as well. He is a great bloke, unfortunately I just realised he wasn’t the man for me. I’m grateful to the Della Valle brothers as well: they’ve been gentlemen.”

The president revealed how he brought the Aeroplanino back to Samp: “I met him a month ago in Florence, but as an honest professional, he didn’t want to talk about football. As soon as I realised we had to change the manager, I made a beeline straight for him. This is our gift to the fans – I’ve always been struck by their love for the club.

With a wink at his new head coach, Ferrero also added: “Montella will help us make this Doria side one of the greats. We need to get it out of our heads that Samp are a second-rate side. We’re putting a lot of quality into this project, both from a technical point of view and in terms of structure.”