“You can make a mistake with your wife, but not with the goalkeeper and the striker when you build the team.” With this joke Antonio Conte, during a press conference when he was at Tottenham, explained which roles he considered fundamental. And precisely in the roles of goalkeeper and center forward, Napoli has, for now, some question marks that only the arrival of the Salento coach on the Azzurri bench and the summer transfer market will be able to untangle.
Who will be the goalkeeper chosen by Conte? Napoli currently has two possible starting goalkeepers in their squad. Alex Meretwhose contract with the blue club expires in 2025, ed Elia Caprile, from the return of the loan to Empoli. The goalkeeper of the third championship was already employed by Conte when the latter was coach of the national team. The only year remaining on Meret’s contract and the many criticisms received from the market, especially this year, will also lead to a choice on the part of the club: renewal or possible sale. It will be up to Conte to decide whether to focus on Meret or Caprile, who is returning from an excellent season which ended with salvation but also from just one year of Serie A behind him. Another option could be to focus on a more experienced goalkeeper and keep Caprile as an alternative.
Who will be Osimhen’s heir? Many names are circulating around Naples to replace the now certain starting Nigerian center forward. David, Dovbyk, Gimenez, Gyokeres and Lukaku they are among the names most closely associated with the blue club. Among these, the Belgian is a protégé of Conte, he did everything to bring him with him to Inter, but he is also the one who is older and has the heaviest salary for Napoli’s coffers. More feasible as David costs, but he is also the one with characteristics that are furthest from what Conte usually looks for in a striker (physical size, aerial play, skill on the banks and in sorting out the play). The other three are returning from a season with crazy numbers: Dovbyk (24 goals and Pichici in La Liga), Gimenez (23 goals in the Eredivisie), Gyokeres (29 goals and top scorer in Portugal). The latter seems to be the dream of the Azzurri fans and perhaps also of Napoli, but the very high cost – he has a release clause of 100 million euros – is holding back enthusiasm.
