Mourinho said goodbye to him and now he is ready to join Napoli: there is a scene that Naples fans will remember well
Affare lampo, rompe con Mourinho e vola a Napoli: il precedente che eccita i tifosi (Foto: Ansa) – serieanews.com
Who remembers that August evening in 2017, when a boy with pigtails and the number 7 on his back lit up the Sao Paulo with tightrope dribbles?
Sarri’s Napoli asphyxiated Nice in the Champions League preliminaries, but among the French ranks was a 20-year-old who, despite the defeat, left an indelible mark on spectators. That boy was Allan Saint-Maximin, a still raw talent, but one with electrifying potential.
Eight years later, his name is back in the hearts of blue fans. Why? Because Napoli is desperately looking for a left back after the painful sale of Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, and while names like Garnacho and Adeyemi fade into thin air, here he is popping up. And this time, the Azzurri jersey could really wear him.
So far, Saint-Maximin was on loan at Fenerbahce under Jose Mourinho. But the two do not seem to be made for each other. The Frenchman wants more space, more freedom, more centrality in the project. Away from the Premier League spotlight, where with Newcastle he had provided flashes of magic, his talent is in danger of being lost in an anonymous season.
Saint-Maximin dall’Al-Ahli al Napoli: affare da fare in fretta
Thus, the surprise move: asking Al-Ahli, the club that holds his tag, to cut short his loan in Turkey and open the door to a Neapolitan adventure. The idea is clear: Antonio Conte is a coach who can get him back on track, restoring the hunger and tactical discipline that he has often lacked.
Affare lampo, rompe con Mourinho e vola a Napoli: il precedente che eccita i tifosi (Foto: Ansa) – serieanews.com
Saint-Maximin dall’Al-Ahli al Napoli: affare da fare in fretta (LaPresse) – serieanews.com
Let’s say it up front: he is not Kvaratskhelia’s replacement, neither in numbers nor in characteristics. In short, he is definitely not Garnacho. But his arrival would allow Neres and Politano to have a quality alternative, capable of splitting games in the running game. Conte’s Napoli will need explosive players capable of turning the action around in seconds, and on this the Frenchman has little to learn.
Sure, he is not a player of great continuity, but if channeled into the right system he can become devastating. Speed, dribbling and one-on-one: Saint-Maximin has all the characteristics that the Maradona crowd likes. Moreover, at 27, he may finally find the soccer maturity he has always lacked.
Soccer is full of intersecting stories, of talents that seem to brush up against each other without ever really touching. In 2017, Saint-Maximin lit a spark in Napoli fans, but fate took him elsewhere. Today, years later, he could finally wear blue and try to write a different page of his career.
But will he really succeed in winning over Conte and the fans? Or will it be yet another wasted opportunity? In Naples, for sure, they are waiting for him with curiosity. And perhaps, with a hint of hope.
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