A Close Look at SSC Napoli Best Summer Signings
After narrowly missing out on the Italian title to Juventus last season, Napoli has been quite busy in the transfer market strengthening to mount a stronger challenge for the upcoming season.
The Naples base outfit makes the first positive move to build on their previous campaign by bringing in Rafael Benitez to replace the departed Walter Mazzarri to rivals Inter Milan. The experience 53-year-old knowing the challenge ahead of him waste no time to start assembling his own squad.
Having sold Star Stricker Edinson Cavani “El Matador” to Paris Saint-Germain for a healthy some of money, €64 million to be exact, the club has plenty of cash at their disposal to splash. So with the team getting ready to unleash it’s fire power on their fellow league teams, we want to take a look at some of the top players they’ve brought in so far.
Gonzalo Higuain
The French born Argentine international is one of the deadliest strikers around and at just 25-years-old he brings lots of first-team and Champions League experience to his new club. When Higuain makes it public, his decision to move on at the end of the season there was no shortage of potential suitors. Top Premier League clubs like Arsenal was among the suitors for his signature but the Argentine international opted for Napoli instead in a deal worth around €40 million.
The player decided to move on after six-and-a-half years with Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid sighting a change of scenery as the main reason for leaving. He made 190 appearances for Los Blancos scoring a total of 107 goals and won 1 Copa del Rey, 1 Spanish Super Cup and 3 La Liga titles in the following seasons: 2006/07, 2007/08 and 2011/12.
Jose Callejon
One of three players to make the switch from La Liga’s Real Madrid to the Serie A’s SSC Napoli to team up with Spanish Coach Rafael Benitez in the club quest for the Italian title.
The young midfielder who came up through the ranks of Real Madrid youth system, leave for RCD Espanyol in 2008 before making his senior debut as part of his development process. His return to the Benabau in 2011 excites many but he was never a mainstay in the first-team and mainly used as a substitute making just 87 appearances under coach Jose Morinho leadership.
A move away from the Bernabau was evident for the 26-year-old and Napoli came calling. Frustrated with the limited role he contributes to the team, Jose Callejon jump at the opportunity to join the Serie A outfit signing a four year contract that will keep him in Naples until 2017. His achievement at Real Madrid includes 1 Spanish Super Cup and a La Liga title in 2011/12 season.
Pepe Reina
When the news was revealed that Napoli had signed Liverpool Goalkeeper Pepe Reina on a season long loan, it was a clear message about the club’s objective for the upcoming season. The player who played under Rafael Benitez at Liverpool is no doubt a top player and will contribute immensely to his new team. The deal became prominent after Liverpool signed Simon Mignolet from Sunderland as their new number 1 and Reina in fear of limited playing time was forced to make the switch to Italy.
The move for Reina can be viewed as a positive one, given that he now has the opportunity to once again test his skill in Europe’s most prestigious competition, the UEFA Champions League. This is a tournament the shot stopper has never won before considering the long list of accolades he already picked up during his career. His achievement at Liverpool includes the UEFA Super Cup 2005, FA Cup 2006, Community Shield 2006 and the League Cup in 2012.
The transfer business done so far by Rafael Benitez and SSC Napoli is no short of impressive. They have managed to off-load one quality striker and bring in another equally as good as the departed one. With these signings and a few other notable additions like Raul Abiol and Dries Mertins Napoli upcoming season looks promising.
