From winning their first Serie A title in more than thirty years to finishing ninth, 25 points behind leaders Inter, and now their second coach of the season: not everything goes to plan in Napoli.
It goes far beyond the simple desire to celebrate the Scudetto victory, the third in the club’s history.
Among the many mistakes that threaten to jeopardize the future of the team – which may not even qualify for Europe next season – are the technical errors committed by sporting director Mauro Meluso and president Aurelio De Laurentiis.
The signings made in January do not seem to provide the much-needed rise in the rankings, and in June many players could ask to be sold so as not to waste part of their career.
From champion of Italy to outside the European reckoning in less than twelve months; what happened at Napoli? Many mistakes have been made, and the choice of both successors to Luciano Spalletti – Rudi Garcia and Walter Mazzarri – has been completely wrong.
Napoli are in disarray this season, struggling in the league and sitting in ninth place
It’s a far cry from the Napoli team that won the Serie A title for the first time in thirty years last summer
Rudi Garcia (left) and Walter Mazzarri (right) are both struggling to fill the manager vacancy
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Napoli currently lacks a clear identity, with question marks surrounding new signings including Jesper Graenge Lindstrom, Jens Cajuste and Leander Dendoncker, who joined on loan from Aston Villa last month.
Even the purchase of Pasquale Mazzocchi from Salernitana is a clear sign of a technical and tactical downsizing from a team that seems to buy players just for fun.
There is no rule requiring them to sell the best players if they fail to qualify for the Champions League or Europa League, but despite perfect accounts, Victor Osimhen and Co could look to move on and avoid sinking the ship to go. .
VICTOR OSIMHEN: €120 MILLION (£102.6 million)
Victor Osimhen’s contract with the Neapolitans was extended in December until 2026, but there is still a possibility that the player could leave both the club and Serie A this summer.
Any club willing to spend €120 million will be able to buy him, and all Italian media seem to be leaning towards an immediate sale, as president De Laurentiis also seems to be suggesting.
Nanni Moretti, an Italian director highly regarded throughout Europe, has always said that ‘words are important’, and De Laurentiis chose his words carefully when explaining the club’s strategies at the end of the Italian Football League meeting.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Napoli’s president said: ‘Osimhen will leave in June 2024 and Mourinho will not arrive at Napoli, something we knew.’
Victor Osimhen will be available this summer for anyone willing to pay Napoli’s €120 million price tag
It is likely that PSG will have an advantage over all foreign competitors as Kylian Mbappe looks set to leave the club
These are words that will cause an earthquake within a team that is currently struggling and in an embarrassing position in the standings.
“The words of the Nigerian striker did not surprise me,” the president added. ‘We all knew he was leaving here. The likely destinations? Real Madrid, PSG or a top club from the Premier League.’
Given Kylian Mbappe’s impending departure from the French titans, it is highly likely that the Ligue 1 club will be ahead of all foreign competitors due to his signature.
KVARATSKHELIA: €90 MILLION (£76.9 million)
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is a dream option for top English and Spanish clubs because he represents the prototype of the perfect player.
Serious, precise and camera shy, he never speaks to his team or the players in front of the media.
He rarely enjoys the Neapolitan nightlife and thinks about football 24 hours a day as if it were a religion.
He loves pizza and mozzarella, the typical dishes of Naples, and has integrated perfectly into Italy after first experiencing football in Georgia and Russia.
He may never repeat the 34 games, 12 goals and 10 assists he racked up in Napoli’s championship-winning season, and perhaps this seems harsh to punish his financial rating.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia represents the prototype of the perfect player because of his love for the game
A few months ago, Aurelio De Laurentiis is said to have rejected an offer of 150 million euros for the Georgian
In this unfortunate season for Napoli, after a disastrous start, Kvaratskhelia has 21 appearances, 6 goals and 3 assists, once again proving that he is a top player after the problems he had under Rudi Garcia.
Today he would likely fetch around £76.9 million (€90 million) for the Georgian’s services, while De Laurentiis would have turned down offers closer to £128 million (€150 million) a few months ago.
It is difficult to imagine the Georgian winger staying in Italy without a place in Europe as it would be a serious handicap to his career. In his position he would lose prominence on the international stage and lose valuable ground to Europe’s biggest stars.
His brand of football is unique and irreplaceable, and it would not be possible to buy another player capable of adequately reproducing his talents. They would have to radically change the tactical plan, which would make his farewell even more seismic.
ANGUISSA: €50 MILLION (£42.75 million)
Cameroonian star Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa is certainly one of the Premier League’s biggest regrets as he went from Fulham’s second team player to a regular starter in Napoli’s Scudetto year.
His career was exceptional, but the change of coach at Napoli saw his performances drastically decline and there was no shortage of transfer offers for him.
His 19 appearances and zero goals in Serie A, plus the efforts he put in in the Africa Cup of Nations, are the perfect snapshot of a strong but unexceptional season.
The player has deteriorated, or perhaps he has shown his true technical value, with his skills only improved by Spalletti.
Anguissa is close to being a non-leaver for Napoli, especially with a direct competitor like Juventus.
Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa grew from Fulham’s second-string player to a regular starter at Napoli
Aston Villa’s Leander Dendoncker was loaned out to see if he could replace Anguissa
But come June, especially without Europe, it will be almost impossible to keep him.
According to Corriere dello Sport, Juventus sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli will try to buy the African midfielder, although president De Laurentiis will do everything he can to prevent this. He prefers to sell abroad rather than open negotiations with a domestic rival.
Dendoncker was apparently brought in to cover Anguissa’s absence for the Africa Cup of Nations, but in reality he was bought to see if he could replace the Cameroonian next season.
So far, ‘Robocop’ Leander has proven rusty after many substitute appearances at Aston Villa, and will hardly be able to break into the hearts of fans like Anguissa did.