Is Lobotka the right man for Napoli?

Eddie Swain
18 gen 2019

Recent speculation has linked Napoli to Celta Vigo’s Stanislav Lobotka. The central midfielder was integral to the Spanish club last season, playing a part in every La Liga game, with the Slovakian impressing so much that he was linked to high profile deadline day move to French giants PSG in the summer. This season he has hasn’t quite hit the heights of last season, not helped by picking up an ankle injury at the start of November, which saw him miss 6 games, combined with Celta Vigo’s stuttering form which sees them sit one place above the relegation zone in La Liga. However despite recent struggles there is little doubt that the central midfielder would add extra quality to Napoli’s midfield.

With Croatian Marko Rog looking to be close to securing an exit from Napoli, it would seem Lobotka is being viewed as a direct replacement for him. Rog has often suffered at the hands of manager Carlo Ancelotti’s rotation policy and has never fully established himself in the side, only completing the full 90 minutes once this season, in the 2-0 home win against Sassuolo. Even under previous manager Sarri, Rog rarely started, and was often used from the bench last season.

Napoli aren’t the only club interested in Lobotka, with Chelsea reportedly looking at him as an alternative to signing Leandro Paredes, and with talk of Celta Vigo being willing to accept an offer around €30m, despite his release clause being €40m, it appears there will be no shortage of interest in the 24-year-old. If Napoli can land the Slovakian midfielder, and he can recapture his form of last season, it would look to be a shrewd piece of business for the Naples side, and would further enhance Ancelotti’s options in midfield, as they look to chase down champions Juventus in Serie A.

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