Leander Dendoncker has yet to be announced by Napoli, but his move has de facto been completed. He was on the pitch on to practice on Thursday. He’s their fourth January acquisition after Pasquale Mazzocchi, Hamed Traoré, and Cyril Ngonge. He’s joining on a season-long loan with a €10M option to buy from Aston Villa, La Repubblica reports.
The midfielder reached Italy to take the medicals on Tuesday. He has featured 15 times this season, scoring one goal against Manchester United. He has started just once in his eight Premier League appearances and has been a used sub frequently.
Napoli have been looking for a Frank Anguissa substitute and landed Dendoncker after testing the waters for Nottingham Forest’s Orel Mangala, who would have been more expensive. The newcomer has also some experience as a defender in a three-man line. They used it in the two recent Supercoppa games.
The 28-year-old moved to Aston Villa from Wolverhampton in a €15M deal in 2022, struggling to capture a prominent role. He began his career and spent a few years at Anderlecht. He has 32 caps with Belgium. The veteran will likely debut right away on Sunday against Lazio. Anguissa is away for AFCON and Jens Cajuste is suspended.
Our Take on Napoli and Dendoncker
The motivations were probably more economic than tactical, but he’s a better fit than other options. He was the only truly defensive-minded midfielder they were linked to. His ability to play in the back in a pinch will come in handy as they aren’t super deep there.
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