Udinese's new sports management team of Gian Luca Nani and Gokhan Inler were presented to the media by Franco Collavino on Tuesday.
The managing director explained: “Nani will be Group Technical Director having previously achieved tremendous success in sporting director and technical director roles. He has launched the careers of many world-famous players and will now take on an innovative role, initiating a group strategy between Udinese and Watford. In modern football, you have to be able to juggle multiple aspects contemporaneously and that's something he's shown he can do impeccably.
“He will be the point of reference for Udinese Calcio's transfer dealings, including for you journalists, as well as a guide for a younger figure in Gokhan Inler, who will be Technical Director.
“Gokhan helped write many important pages in our club's history and knows how important Udinese is to the Friulian people, having donned our jersey for four years.
“He is Switzerland's 10th-most-capped player, captained his national side and won numerous trophies. He will work in close contact with our coaching staff and the players in the dressing room.
“We want him to act as a role model for footballers coming here from other countries and cultures who need to adapt as quickly as possible. Gokhan was and still is a very charismatic figure who will help instil the right mentality and discipline at the club.
“I'm sure both Nani and Inler will do very well with us.
“I'd like to publicly thank Giampiero Pinzi for his contribution. We're undergoing a complete rebuild of the technical area. We don't currently have the need to continue our working relationship with him but we'll speak to Kosta Runjaic about his requirements and make a decision together.”
Gian Luca Nani then took the floor.
“I want to thank the Pozzo family for the faith they have shown in me over the years. It's a real privilege to work for them. This club is seen as a model club abroad for its scouting network and organisation. The Udinese brand is associated with talent-spotting and that's what we'll continue to do, scouring the globe and bringing talented players here.
“We want build on those foundations and keep improving. There's a lot of work behind this club and we'll carry that on with the same enthusiasm that's been evident over the last 30 years.”
The director also fielded some questions about specific players.
“Florian Thauvin is an Udinese player and we're delighted to have him. During the transfer window situations can develop and if an offer that was too good to refuse came in, we'd sit down with the player and discuss it but we're very happy to have him here.
“We'll wait for Gerard Deulofeu to recover properly. That's his and our priority and we're offering him all our support in it.
“As for Roberto Pereyra, we'll speak to him and the coach and assess everything together.
“We've signed Lorenzo Lucca outright now and we intend to keep him. Having experienced many transfer windows, I know that anything can happen but he's an important asset to us. He's earned an Italy call-up and has done very well at Udinese.”
Nani was then asked more specifically about his role.
“I'll be based in London and will continue working with Watford to try and get the club promoted. It's easy to create transfer alliances between two connected clubs – I see it as an opportunity. They have different needs and there are different rules in the two leagues, but that's not a problem – quite the opposite. Udinese and Watford are like two sons to me. I love them both. We'll make the most of the advantages of having a group.
“Once upon a time a club's transfer dealings were based on the opinions of the sporting director and the president. Udinese was one of the first clubs to create a set-up capable of beating other clubs to promising players. Every football club worth its salt needs a set-up that can identify emerging talent. Agents are one source but not the only one. Udinese have achieved incredible results thanks to that organisation. The system has changed now but the club remains at the forefront and is still able to get to players before others. Sometimes top clubs with greater resources come in but we still find talented players.
“I've had lots of experiences around the world and working with Gino Pozzo is like doing a Master's degree – I'm constantly learning. That doesn't mean that when I don't see something the same way as him I don't tell him, but our conversations are always fruitful.
“Having a relationship with an extremely intelligent person like him is constructive and helps you work better.
“Udinese had a good team last season too – let's not forget all the injury problems the club had. It was a difficult season but we still stayed up. Sassuolo lost [Domenico] Berardi and got relegated, for example.
“Now we must go again with enthusiasm. We don't need a complete overhaul of the squad; we just need to improve it. As always, some players will leave and others will come in. The coach has only just joined. We'll sit down and exchange our ideas. It's too early to talk about transfer targets.”