Victor Osimhen will miss an extended period of time due to his facial injury. But Napoli does not anticipate adding a new striker in January. They could do it only if Andrea Petagna left, something that almost happened last summer. Now he and Dries Mertens will shoulder the attack for the time being.
Napoli ruled out the Nigerian international for three months. His surgeon had bleak remarks about the situation: “It was not a simple cheekbone fracture as it affected several bones. It was not just a collision, as it was rather a forceful compression. The damage was devastating. I had to insert 6 plates and 18 screws. It is too early to quantify the recovery time because the operation was really complex. His conditions were awful.”
According to Corriere dello Sport, the timetable for his return will be more precise in mid-January. On top of the fractures, Osimhen has optic issues and a partial paralysis of the lips. Despite the massive loss, Napoli are not plotting any addition in the role. Their priority remains to find a new left-back, Alfredo Pedullà reports.
André-Franck Zambo Anguissa will miss some time too because of a thigh injury. On the other hand, Diego Demme shook off COVID, and Luciano Spalletti trusts Stanislav Lobotka. Napoli could at most try bringing in somebody for cheap in the midfield. They are pursuing Matias Vecino, who recently voiced his malcontent for his lack of minutes. However, Inter do not seem keen on letting him go for free at this stage, Calciomercato.com reports.