On Tuesday, Aurelio De Laurentiis was a guest on Wall Street Italia’s Smart Talk. Amongst other subjects – including offers he has received for the club and a new concept of a Super League – the SSC Napoli president addressed players competing in international competitions.
“Don’t talk to me about African [players]. I love them, but either they sign for me a refusal to participate in the African Cup, or else between the African Cup and the South American championship, I never have them at my disposal. We are the fools who pay their salaries to send them around to play for others.”
With Africa Cup of Nations champion Kalidou Koulibaly having transferred to Chelsea FC, three African players remain in the current Napoli squad: André Frank Zambo Anguissa (Cameroon); Adam Ounas (Algeria); and Victor Osimhen (Nigeria).
AFCON is a biannual competition that is typically contested in the months of January and February. As a result, most of the best African players do not participate in their domestic club competitions while they are at AFCON.
On November 13, 2020, Osimhen suffered a dislocated shoulder during an AFCON qualification match against Sierra Leone. Due to the injury, Osimhen missed 10 Serie A matches, three Europa League matches and one Coppa Italia match during the 2020/21 campaign.
[…] purchased the central defender from SSC Napoli. Koulibaly addressed a number of subjects, including Aurelio De Laurentiis’ comments on Tuesday regarding not signing African players. While Koulibaly respects his former club’s president, he also acknowledged that De Laurentiis’ […]