SSC Napoli

On Wednesday, Dries Mertens posted a heartfelt farewell message to Napoli fans, teammates and staff on his Instagram page. In the post, Mertens thanked the people of Napoli and confirmed that he will keep his house on the bay, so he can return home as often as possible. https://twitter.com/dries_mertens14/status/1554912246849060865?s=20&t=3GydjL9YaCxvWrYcsSvkuw Dear Neapolitans, my fellow citizens. I knew this day would come eventually, but I never knew it would be so difficult for me…Saying goodbye to this city that adopted me, that loved me and supported me through both difficult times and wonderful times. The records and victories will be in the…

On Wednesday, Kalidou Koulibaly gave his first press conference since Chelsea FC 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’ opinions belong to him only, and not to the club or its fans. “It’s up to him. He wanted to say this but for me, the most important is to respect everybody. I always respect everybody and when I played there I was playing also for Senegal. I won the…

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…

On Sunday, Napoli hosted Spanish club RCD Mallorca at the Stadio Teofilo Patini in Castel di Sangro. This was the second friendly played at Castel di Sangro, but the match was far from friendly. Mallorca, the 16th placed team in the 2021/22 La Liga campaign, were often late with their challenges, much to the dismay of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Hirving Lozano, Eljif Elmas and others. Napoli, who were sporting the 2022/23 away kit, were awarded a penalty kick in the 8th minute, after Clément Grenier handled the ball in the area. Victor Osimhen stepped up to the spot and smashed the…

On Saturday, Lorenzo Insigne missed a golden opportunity to score his first goal for his new club Toronto FC. The Reds were awarded a penalty kick in the 76th minute after an intricate exchange between Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty, Jonathan Osorio, Insigne and Deandre Kerr. Insigne stepped up to the spot but was stopped by New England goalkeeper Đorđe Petrović. Though Petrović guessed correctly, the shot was poorly struck, lacking both power and accuracy. Perhaps justice had been served, as the VAR review clearly showed that Kerr kicked the back of the leg of Matt Polster after Polster got a touch on…

On Friday, ex-Napoli player Kalidou Koulibaly made his first start as a Chelsea player against a familiar opponent in Udinese Calcio. The central defender played 72 minutes before he was replaced by 18 year old Harvey Vale. Chelsea were ahead 2-1 when Koulibaly was removed. Mason Mount scored in the 90th minute to secure the 3-1 victory. Koulibaly was solid as ever, continuing to prove to Chelsea fans that he was worth the investment. In the 36th minute, he made a perfectly-timed slide tackle to intercept Roberto Pereyra’s through ball intended for Gerard Deulofeu. The victory came only five days…

On Wednesday, SSC Napoli played its first friendly match at Castel di Sangro. The Azzurri welcomed an Adana Demirspor club that featured a few familiar faces, including coach Vincenzo Montella - a former teammate and player for Luciano Spalletti - ex-Napoli player Gökhan Inler and former Italy international striker Mario Balotelli. Spalletti used the opportunity to assess his new players and those competing for a place in the squad. Aside from goalkeeper Alex Meret, central defender Leo Østigård was the only Napoli player to play the full 90 minutes. Though the Norwegian put in a good shift, including playing a…

On Wednesday, SSC Napoli revealed the home and away kicks for the 2022/23 campaign. The home kit, which retails for €125, is in the traditional Napoli blue, while the away shirt is white. Both shirts feature a crewneck and a pattern of small Napoli logos embossed on the material. Meanwhile, the shirt sleeves feature a distinct transition of colour. On the home shirt, the sleeves transition from black, which is also the colour of the neck, to the traditional Napoli blue. On the away shirt, the sleeves transition from the traditional Napoli blue to white. The goalkeeper kits are available…

Kim Min-Jae is officially an SSC Napoli player. The South Korean central defender arrived in Italy on Tuesday to complete his medicals at the Villa Stuart in Rome. On Wednesday, Napoli confirmed the purchase on its website and social media channels. The defender was in the stands for Napoli’s friendly against Adana Demirspor later in the day. Kim was acquired from Fenerbahçe S.K. in Turkey, where he made 34 appearances in all competitions during the 2021/22 campaign. Prior to joining Fenerbahçe, Kim played for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in the K League 1 - the top professional football league in South…

On Tuesday, Lorenzo Insigne fell short of winning his first cup as a Toronto FC Player. The Reds lost the final of the Canadian Championship to the Vancouver Whitecaps in a penalty shootout. Insigne’s performance was underwhelming compared to his MLS debut three days prior. The Whitecaps, who currently rank 10th in the MLS table, proved to be a more difficult opponent than Charlotte FC was on Saturday. Early in the match, both Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi struggled with the pace of the AstroTurf at BC Place in Vancouver. Vancouver opened the scoring in the 19th minute, after Insigne was…