Napoli announce Amadou Diawara signing

It’s official: Napoli have signed midfielder Amadou Diawara from Bologna, ending an over month-long transfer chase to secure the teenaged Guinean sensation who has many around Europe excited.

Terms of the deal are unknown, and it seems that things have changed since the recent reports that the deal would be a €2 million loan with a €13 million option to buy. Neither Napoli nor Bologna have made any reference to a loan in their announcements, however, and both specifically called it a “definitive acquisition.” That leads many to believe that it’s a permanent signing, though we still don’t know for how much.

Diawara is an exciting young talent, who starred for Bologna last season despite his young age of 19 and his club’s fairly mediocre status. He has talents to play a variety of midfield roles, including some playmaking flair and defensive nous. With strong technical skills and a high work rate, Diawara definitely has what it takes to be a big help for Napoli both this year and in the future.

Of course, this transfer wasn’t an easy one, and there’s a very real chance that age-driven immaturity may have been a big part of that. Diawara refused to join Bologna’s pre-season training as he worked to force a transfer to Napoli, his preferred destination despite the various clubs around Europe interested. That deeply upset Bologna, leading them to drag their heels on the transfer, seeking offers from other clubs. Diawara steadfastly refused anything else that came his way, though, apparently rejecting even several offers that were worth more to him financially.

Hopefully his holdout isn’t a sign of future problems to come for Diawara, especially now that he’s with the team he wanted to be with. Napoli have themselves a wonderfully talented midfielder in hand — now it’s time to figure out how best to use him.