Let’s start again. The tape rewinds and Giovanni Di Lorenzo will be the link between the disastrous Napoli with the tricolor on their chest and the team that at least, thanks to the arrival of Antonio Conte, will recover their pride and fierceness in a very short time. At least we hope. The coach was a central figure in recomposing the situation regarding the right back, a mediator much firmer than the typical duties of the role suggest. He made both parties understand the right path to follow. The club had to retract its position of considering every player in the squad transferable, even the captain. Di Lorenzo, on the other hand, had to recover the sense of responsibility required by the armband that he has worn for years and put the greater good of Napoli first.
the vertices
—
It took two meetings with Conte, Manna and Aurelio De Laurentiis, one overlooking the gulf from the Britannique hotel and one before in Rome, for a total of over six hours of discussion, to reach the meeting point. The player’s representative, Mario Giuffredi, acted as his representative. The steps forward that the club had been looking for have taken place. The actual and definitive reconciliation, in terms of personal relations of course, will however only take place after a summit directly between the president and Di Lorenzo. The latter, after having participated in Italy’s disappointing European Championship expedition, will enjoy a few days of vacation in Ibiza with his family, and then make himself available to the new coach and lay even more solid foundations in concert with the management and ownership. In the meantime, Conte already has several projects for him.
double role
—
The new coach has always considered him a key element of his starting eleven. He appreciates his human qualities and his footballing skills. The idea, for now, is that Di Lorenzo can be part of the three-man defense he has in mind, aware that he can deploy him wide both in a back four if he wanted to change formation, or on the wing maintaining the 3-4-2-1 which for now is the scheme with which he imagines his Napoli. This type of versatility is also a fundamental aspect in the overall evaluation. Of course, there is also a question of opportunity in the reasoning. The coach, as well as the sporting director and De Laurentiis himself, are aware that they would not find a profile of such caliber cheaply. Not to mention respect for the contract, conceptually sacred in the president’s philosophy. Di Lorenzo has an agreement in force until 2028, with an option for a further season at over 3 million euros of net salary. And under these conditions, only Napoli can decide whether and how to sell a player.
all solved
—
In short, the premises have changed compared to a few weeks ago, when the fracture did not seem healable. Common sense has returned to guide the choices of each figure involved. Conte has actually always been convinced of this, for several reasons. Above all, for the values that made him captain of the Azzurri. Di Lorenzo had discussions with both the coach and Oriali, and they were very satisfied. The total support of the club did the rest. Ultimately, a tug of war would not have done anyone any good. Napoli needs the leader on the field, who has navigated the gentle waters of the Scudetto and the stormy sea that did not lead beyond tenth place. Conte believes in the squad he has available and for this reason he has expressly requested that there be continuity within the short and medium-term strategy, to climb back up in the shortest possible time. Otherwise he would not have accepted De Laurentiis’ proposal. Starting again with Di Lorenzo, then, is the most logical choice. And also the most correct.
