Rating the Napoli Transfer Session – A Quiet Summer in the South

Calciomercato, Italian Football, Napoli, Serie A, Transfer Market

Following the last day drama that saw the club missing out on a Champions League spot, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis was quick to take action, ending his already-frosty collaboration with Gennaro Gattuso. The former World Cup winner turned out to be the sacrificial lamb and was swiftly replaced by Luciano Spalletti. Nonetheless, very little was made afterwards, and the veteran tactician will be in charge of almost the same group of players that was at the disposal of his Calabrian predecessor. So it’s time to assess the Partenopei’s transfer session with what little business conducted by Napoli throughout the summer.

Departures

Some big names were tipped to leave the Stadio Maradona this summer, but luckily for the fans, no major departures were recorded in 2021. Instead, Nikola Maksimovic and Elsaid Hysaj as free agents, after seeing out their contracts with the club. The Serbian center back joined Genoa while the Albanian fullback has been reunited with Maurizio Sarri at Lazio. Italian defender Sebastiano Luperto joined Empoli on loan.

Arrivals

What was said above concerning the departures can also be applied on the arrivals. In the final days of the transfer session, Napoli completed a loan move for Fulham’s André Zambo Anguissa, and strangely enough, it happened to be the highlight of their uneventful summer.

Matteo Politano‘s has been expectedly maintained on a permanent basis, former Roma and Inter defender Juan Jesus joins as a free agent, and the young Davide Marfella will be the team’s third goalkeeper.

Best Coup

Well, in the absence of suitable candidates, we might just say that the Partenopei’s best coup was maintaining their most important stars for another season. Kalidou Koulibaly was once again linked with a Premier League move. Fabian Ruiz was reportedly set for a return to his native country of Spain, and even club captain Lorenzo Insigne was tipped to join Inter at one point as he’s yet to renew his contract which expires next summer.

And yet all of them ended up staying in southern Italy, in what could only be considered as a major boost for Spalletti’s squad.

Worst Blow

Once again, the choices are very limited and none of them truly convincing, but if we must choose one, then it would be Elseid Hysaj. The longtime serving fullback can de deployed either on the right or on the left, and although his performances weren’t always thrilling, his departure leaves the squad short of reliable options in this particular department.

Missed Chance

Speaking of the fullback roles, Napoli once again failed to enhance their struggling left-back department that has been crying for reinforcements for years now, and after the closure of the transfer session, Spalletti was left with the unconvincing Mario Rui and the injury-plagued Faouzi Ghoulam as his main options.

Final Rating

Even though stability within the squad could be a positive aspect, Napoli failed to address some of the issues within their squad during the summer transfer session, leaving the team exposed in some areas, including the midfield (at least until Zambo Anguissa proves otherwise) and the aforementioned fullback roles. However, maintaining the backbone of the team, including the best players, remains a plus.

Rating: 6/10

Read More – Rating the Juventus Transfer Session – The Hits and Misses

Related posts:

  1. Ciao Gonzalo! Italian Football Bids Farewell To Recordman Higuain
  2. Latest Milik Drama Will Upset Many Parties – Napoli’s Most of All
  3. Three Barcelona Players Who Should Move to Serie A This Summer
  4. Could Insigne Make the Switch from Napoli to Inter? The Pros and Cons of the Potential Deal