“For me it was an unexpected call from Napoli, in a very quiet period of my life. At the end of February, Dr. Chiavelli and President De Laurentiis contacted me: it was a great emotion, I must admit”. Speaking to the microphones of Radio CRC Napoli’s sporting director spoke exclusively, John Manna. Many topics were touched upon, including obviously a lot of space for the market: “It was certainly a somewhat complicated market, because it was affected by Osimhen’s condition and other exits to finance our income. Thanks to the president’s foresight, we still managed to reach the objectives we had set ourselves. We hope that the pitch will prove us right”.
Lukaku without giving up Osimhen? “Victor’s situation has affected us. He himself expressed his desire to no longer play for Napoli and to leave: the conditions were not there initially for this transfer to happen. But we were missing a striker with different characteristics who could combine our technical needs and those of the coach. Hence the acceleration on Romelu’s transfer”.
Osimhen in Türkiye? “It was an opportunity, the market was closed in Europe. They approached us as soon as our summer session was over. We weren’t very open at the beginning, because similar situations had arisen during the market, but neither we nor Victor wanted a loan. Then, by talking to the player, we managed to find a solution and the solution was satisfactory for everyone. It’s clear that we would have liked to sell him, but it wasn’t possible.”
“Scott McTominay really wanted to come to Naples and this was satisfying and must be for all of us. If a Manchester United player chooses to come to Naples, despite having other opportunities, we must be proud. It is an operation that started a long time ago, already in the first days of June I had had some contact with the agent, but I didn’t think we would take him. We continued to maintain these relationships, until the moment we sat down with Manchester United and we understood that it could be done, also strong in the will of the player”.
“In the recent history of Napoli I remember great players. Gonzalo Higuain played in Napoli, who I consider one of the greatest strikers of recent years. There were players who came to Napoli from Real Madrid and finished their careers here. Winning the Scudetto and consolidating in the Champions League gave an even stronger image of Napoli to the outside world. In the De Laurentiis era it was built step by step and now it is in a phase of consolidation. That is what we want to do. It is important and it is nice to see people happy with the arrival of a certain type of player”.
Gilmour? “Billy is the first midfielder that we have actually negotiated and defined. We had practically done it in July, then there are market dynamics that slow down these transfers. We have always remained in contact with the player and the club, then when the situation seemed to have unblocked, there was O’Riley’s injury. They asked us to make the agreement for January. We had a stalemate, but then the player strongly wanted to come to Naples and correctly asserted his will with the owners and the coach. So on the last day we had the opportunity to make this agreement. We had everything ready and in half a day we managed to do everything”.
“Turin and Naples are two great realities, but diametrically opposed. History says so: one city is more aseptic and one is more passionate. Juventus is seen as a point of reference in Italy. Having arrived here is a source of great pride. Being part of this project that is starting is truly gratifying, the affection of the people is unique. We are focused on what is today and what will happen tomorrow”.
Juventus vs Napoli? “I hope to see a great match between two great teams. We are in a positive period, we have had three victories. It is part of a journey, the result of daily work. We are facing a team that is historically built to win, it is in their DNA. There is great enthusiasm, cohesion in the environment: we will find a strong team, that has just won well and deservedly in the Champions League. We must be attentive, focused and work. We know that it is a stage of a journey”.
“I saw Juventus’ match in the Champions Leaguealong with the other matches. Watching this tournament is complicated for us, because we are not happy not to participate. We are working to make sure this happens next year. Historically, Juve is built to win. We must be focused only on ourselves and work game after game. We know our objective and that we need time to get back to the top. We come from a complicated championship, but we have the conditions to compete with the others and try to get to the Champions League, as we have always said”.
“There is incredible affection here in Naples, it is hard to walk around the center. People ask, they ask. I like living in this city: it is an important reality and I think we have to give something to these people, because they deserve it. I was very fascinated. I haven’t been able to visit the city properly yet, because a complicated transfer session has just ended. From a culinary point of view, I have to sign up to the gym because otherwise it’s a problem”.