On Friday, Corriere della Sera published a long interview with SSC Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti. The interview covered a wide range of topics, including what the city of Napoli and Spalletti have in common, his relationship with Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis and, inevitably, Francesco Totti. Spalletti also addressed the departure of Dries Mertens.
“Let’s clarify: it wasn’t me, it wasn’t the club that didn’t want him with us. Mertens could have given us a great hand. But the company made him an offer and he didn’t accept. I keep myself out of these dynamics, and that’s right”
A player Napoli have been heavily linked to as a possible replacement for Mertens is US Sassuolo forward Giacomo Raspadori, who Spalletti appreciates, but reiterated is not currently a Napoli player.
“I reply that he is not my player, that he is a boy who would have all the characteristics to give us a hand. Young, strong, versatile in all attacking roles, intelligent and above all polite. It has personality, and we have lost some of it in the transition from one cycle to another. Let’s see, with him we would be in the right direction. It would be the natural replacement for Mertens”
A common theme with the summer transfer market thus far has been the departure of young Italian talent: Pisa forward Lorenzo Lucca has been loaned to Ajax in the Dutch Eredivisie; Inter forward Sebastiano Esposito has been loaned to Anderlecht in the Belgian Juplier Pro League; and Raspadori’s former Sassuolo teammate, Gianluca Scamacca, has been sold to West Ham United in the English Premier League.
“Young people must be able to grow, find clubs that are able to foster maturity. Then, of course, money can be a variable. I respect their choices, God forbid. Experiences abroad always enrich. But if I think of Raspadori, I am pleased that he has instead decided not to leave Italy. Here we grow…And it is not an invitation, but a consideration that goes beyond the market”
Spalletti maintained that Serie A will be very competitive in 2022/23, particularly with the transfers made by Juventus, Roma and Fiorentina. Napoli have started a new cycle with a focus on youth and financial sustainability.
“An important cycle has closed, with players who have made history and let’s open another page together. The new Napoli turns in the direction of strong young people, in the downsizing of salaries and in the philosophy of sustainability. Around us I feel skepticism, I’m sorry. Because we are doing our best to be ready. Thanks to a market that, within certain boundaries, is functional to our needs. Dybala has not arrived, I hear here and there. The attempt was made by my company, then you have to stop when there are fences. This shouldn’t make us feel less. All the top teams, and in addition to the Milanese and Juventus, Rome and Fiorentina have also been strengthened significantly. We make our journey knowing that this will be an anomalous championship and therefore strange for everyone. The matches are played on the field not off. Let’s see, in the meantime the market is still long.”
However, with the acquisitions of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Kim Min-Jae, the Napoli coach remains cautiously optimistic.
“We are working on already very fertile ground: Kim, Kvaratskhelia have made themselves available and seem receptive to me. They all are, even last year’s veterans. It remains to be seen, along the way, how good they will have been at transposing the contents that my staff and I try to put in place. Besides, it’s not over here.”
