Napoli manager Luciano Spalletti is looking forward to the possible partnership of strikers Victor Osimhen and Giovanni Simeone after the latter arrived on loan from Hellas Verona some days back.
In the 2021/22 campaign Osimhen scored 14 goals and assisted five, while the Argentina international scored 17 goals in 35 Serie A matches, and provided five assists last season.
Just this season which Napoli have started brightly, Osimhen has already notched two goals and made one assist in two league appearances and Spalletti is confident the duo will produce great partnership this season.
“It doesn’t matter whether they play together or not; what matters is that Napoli win,” the 63-year-old tactician said as quoted by the club’s official portal.
“It was great to see how much Simeone wanted to join Napoli because as soon as he knew the club were interested, that was his focus. This is the level of engagement that is really important for us.
“They are both target men and whether it’s Osimhen or Simeone, they will make a great contribution to the team.”
The former Empoli forward thrives in a 4-3-3 formation, but with the new players on board, the manager insists it gives him a variety of tactical options.
“We have a well-rounded squad which means we have more tactical options available to us. We have brought in players who give us something new to work with,” Spalletti continued.
“The club has done a fantastic job investing in our future and offering us great prospects, while at the same time making sure that they balance the books. We made sure to fill in any of the gaps, because to play in all competitions we needed to expand the team.
“We are fighting to be competitive. We’re fighting to show what we’re made of, even with some less experienced players who haven’t had as much game time on the national and international stage.
“We know we have work to do but we’re ready to translate our potential into results on the pitch. The enthusiasm that there is around this side will help us to get right to it.”
Napoli and Osimhen will travel to face Fiorentina in their next league game on Sunday.
This article was most recently revised and updated 7 months ago
