Napoli President Aurelio De Laurentiis has warned that Nigeria international Victor Osimhen must be ready to taste action from the bench in the coming season as the Italian Serie A side re-jig following the departure of several players.
Following the departure of former captain Lorenzo Insigne to Torino as well as Senegal’s defender Kalidou Koulibaly to Chelsea , the Neapolitans yesterday further announced the exit of Belgian striker Dries Mertens and Goalkeeper David Ospina .
Buy in its determination to bring quality replacements especially in the striking position, Napoli are reportedly eyeing Hellas Verona striker Gianluca Simeone, son of Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone as well as Udinese’s Gerard Deulofeu.
“Simeone? I really like him,” the billionaire businessman reportedly told Radio Kiss Kiss .“We have to see what Luciano Spalletti thinks because he is a very good striker; perhaps he complements Osimhen less than Petagna because perhaps he is more similar to Osimhen. We don’t have to play 4-4-2 with two strikers.
“The players must not be offended if they are substituted at some point. A game lasts 90 minutes; if we have brought the five changes to the table, it is because these five changes must be used correctly.
“If someone is substituted in the second half, he must not feel handicapped. The coach must know how to harmonize, manage and optimize all the players against a specific opponent.”
Meanwhile, Laurentiis has also warned Napoli fans to get ready for another season of ever-changing kits, as they will have 12 or 13 different sets released in 2022-23 as reported by football-italia.net
They are the only club in Serie A who manufacture and design their own kits, shaking off the need for a kit sponsor, starting this new path last season.
Once again, there have been delays in providing the new jersey for this campaign, but De Laurentiis told Radio Kiss Kiss that it will be presented to the press and supporters on Wednesday when they play Adana Demirspor in a pre-season friendly.
De Laurentiis also confirmed that “we will probably have 12-13 kits this season, just like last year.”
Napoli’s numerous limited edition jerseys were welcomed by some fans, but irritated others, as the expense of buying all these versions piled up.
There were some kits that were worn only in one or two matches, including a black one with a spider’s web motif that was released for Halloween, yet not used when they did play on October 31.
Source: The Nation
