Naples on Vicar and Baldanzi of Empoli: the negotiations. And Ounahi…

When you gain an advantage in the market, you have to work even harder to keep it. In the sense that if you have managed to perfectly set all your summer pieces and Luciano Spalletti’s team is advancing at full speed, it means that you have to exploit the advantage to keep the gap on your competitors and be able to bring in some other new talent that has been followed for some time with extreme rigor.

NEW STRATEGY

—

In addition, experience has suggested a less romantic strategy to President Aurelio De Laurentiis: if important offers arrive in the future (as happened, for example, with Koulibaly) we will change. Because retaining a player means significantly raising his salary and this would lead to a point of non-sustainability of the project, an error into which the owners do not want to fall. In fact, less than two years ago, a total salary of almost 120 million was reached which is not in line with the turnover. Now that Napoli has dropped to just over 70, they don’t intend to move from this range of sustainability, at the cost of some sacrifices. This does not mean that there must necessarily be excellent sales, but it is better to have motivated people.

GOALKEEPER QUESTION

—

Meret’s excellent championship means that the agent Pastorello has received interest from the Premier League. Napoli has signed a contract until 2024 with an option in their favor until 2025, so if anyone wants the Friulian goalkeeper they will have to ask the blue club which does not value him less than 20 million. At the same time we look at alternatives. The Azzurri’s scouting has been following Guglielmo Vicario, born in 1996, another Friulian who grew up like Meret in the Udinese school for some time. Relations with Empoli are good and at the same time there could be a triangulation. In the sense that Napoli would take from Bari Elia Caprile, born in 2001, who also made his Under 21 debut last September. These could end up in Empoli for a further step in growth, with Vicario ready for the big leap.

EMPOLI WORKSHOP

—

Remaining to admire Corsi’s jewellery, Napoli have long been following the growth of playmaker born in 2003 Tommaso Baldanzi, protagonist in the winning night at San Siro for Empoli. Sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli is in no hurry and at the same time does not intend to participate in auctions useful only to those who need to increase costs. When Napoli decide to act, if the conditions exist, perhaps they will be able to offer Empoli a formula that allows the 19-year-old to continue to grow in the Tuscan club. Because young people must be introduced progressively and without risking rushing ahead. The strategy doesn’t change even if we go abroad, in this case to France and we talk about Azzedine Ounahi, the Moroccan midfielder, protagonist of the World Cup in Qatar.

WAIT OUNAHI

—

Absurdly, international visibility has not favored a job that Giuntoli had been pursuing secretly for some time. Angers, last in Ligue 1, would like to monetize and is hoping for an important offer from the Premier League. Napoli is waiting, they have made a first offer of 10 million plus bonuses, which the Angevins do not consider fair, hoping that more than 20 million pounds will come from England. We’ll see. If Ounahi is not sold in this January session, the chances that he can reach Naples will increase. At the same time there is no shortage of alternatives, with players of different characteristics. Like the German from Udinese Lazar Samardzic, born in 2002, who has also been observed for some time. All solutions also linked to the possible departure of Piotr Zielinski. In the sense that Napoli will propose a renewal to the Pole (current deadline 2024) for figures slightly lower than 3.5 million net, to return to corporate policy. If Zielinski doesn’t accept, the paths will split without regrets. After the revolution of summer 2022, nothing scares Naples.