The football transfer market is filled with rumors and “experts”, whose sole job it is to make us click that link or read that extra page. Everyday a new player is linked to Napoli, either incoming or outgoing. The biggest move to date is of course the signing of Gonzalo Higuain. To say I am 100% sold on this move would be a lie. With his big price tag, replacing Edinson Cavani and being Argentinian himself, there will be a huge amount of pressure on him to succeed. As a Napoli fan, I hope he lives up to the expectation and exceeds them! Does he need to replace all Cavani’s goals to be a success? No. But he needs to score at least 20 goals during the season and perform during Champions league to be a success.
Certainly there are other pieces to the club’s puzzle. For me, my wish list would include a striker, 2 defenders (Centre-back and Full-back) and depth in the midfield. If there were no restrictions, these would be my targets:
Buy one or two the following players for the Centre-Back position:
- Davide Astori – Has the Serie A experience
- Martin Skrtel – Has experience playing under Benitez
- Adil Rami – Big and strong
Buy one of the following Full-Backs:
- Martins Indi – Young and tremendous speed
- Fabio Coentrao – Natural full-back – High price
Buy one of the following Strikers:
- Samuel Eto’o: Serie A experience, Champions League Experience – High Wages
- Victor Ibarbo: Serie A experience, brings different dynamic than Higuain
- Abel Hernandez: Same as Ibarbo
- Duvan Zapata: Young and “cheaper” option – No Serie A experience
Buy one of the following Midfielders:
- Maxime Gonalons: Solid defensively and good with his feet
- Radja Nainggolan: Hard tackler, Serie A experience – Often in foul trouble
- Javier Mascherano: Played under Benitez, Vastly Experienced – High priced
I did not include Jackson Martinez because in my opinion, spending another $30-40M on a high profile striker would not provide the help where Napoli need it most, which is on Defense. Furthermore, I do not like the Juan Zuniga- Alessandro Matri swap rumors being circulated or buying Matri outright. Yes, Matri has Serie A experience, however he is not a first choice on a Juventus squad, nor is a call-up for the Italy national squad and his price tag of $12-15M is high for his caliber. Also, I would like to see Zuniga stay with Napoli seeing as he is versatile and can play both sides of the field.
In the end, no one can predict the football transfer market, I just hope Napoli Athletic Director, Riccardo Bigon, get’s the right players for the Partenopei!
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