Napoli Transfer Window Roundup: Quiet, but effective

It was a fairly quiet transfer window for Napoli. Things got off to a pretty big bang right from the get go with two signings announced on day one that had already been negotiated beforehand, but after that the window became more about parsing out the crap rumors from the plausible ones.

In the end, those two first-day signings were the only significant ones Napoli would make. So did Napoli have a good transfer window? A poor one? Somewhere in between?

Players In

Ivan Strinic and Manolo Gabbiadini were the only two senior squad signings Napoli made during the winter window, and both have had a good effect on the club since joining.

Strinic (free transfer - Transfer Scouting) has been excellent at left back since signing, playing at a high level and having a significant impact on the matches he's played in. His ability to lock down his side of the pitch in defense and still provide significant help to the attack is excellent for a fullback, and getting his skillset in on a free transfer is just ludicrously good business.

Gabbiadini (€11 million - Transfer Scouting) hasn't had quite as large an impact yet as he's been utilized more as a rotational option and impact sub than a starter so far. Still, he's been looking steadily more comfortable in the side since joining early in the month, and he scored his first Napoli goal against Chievo Verona in the midst of his best performance overall. Here's to many more goals to come.

Napoli also signed Francis Obeng from Santarcangelo in Lega Pro, but the 28 year old Ghanaian midfielder will likely never play a minute for Napoli as his signing was little more than a formality to ensure that Napoli don't lose the ability to sign their full allotment of non-EU players next season.

There were also a pair of youth players brought in to the primavera, striker Riccardo Conte (15) and attacking midfielder Emanuele Moxedano (16). The two are reputedly some of the more well-thought-of youth players in Italy, with both starring for their respective national student sides in Catania and Spezia. Obviously it will be some time before either makes a first-team impact in Naples, if they ever do, but seeing top-shelf talent come in to your academy system is never a bad thing.

Players Out

Antonio Rosati was the only senior squad player to leave on a permanent deal, getting his contract canceled and heading back to Fiorentina, where he spent the second half of last season on loan. Considering that he was so outcast that a 38 year old who has played two matches in four years and a 17 year old were ahead of him on the depth chart, Rosati won't be missed, and his wage bill certainly won't be.

Several Napoli youth players headed out on loan. Gennaro Tutino is the most notable, with the 18 year old attacker returning to health after tearing his ACL on the summer. He'll finish out the season with Gubbio in Lega Pro. Striker Soma Novothny switched loan sides, coming back from a Mantova side that was barely playing him, and joining Suditrol instead. That move is already paying dividends: Novothny has already made as many starts with Suditrol in three weeks as he had all season at Mantova, and he's scored three goals to boot. Midfielder Emanuele Allegra joined Novothny at Suditrol, though he's only played one match there so far.

There had been talk of other Napoli loanees moving around - specifically Roberto Insigne and Jacopo Dezi - but those reports never panned out and they appear to be staying at Reggina and Crotone, respectively.

Players Missed

While it's hard to know the extent of Napoli's interest in either player, seeing Norbert Gyomber stay in Catania and Gabriel Paletta move to AC Milan hurts a little considering Napoli's need in central defense.

The one we do know Napoli wanted because Riccardo Bigon could hardly shut up about him for a couple of days is Croatian midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, who wound up signing with Inter Milan instead. The terms of the deal - a long-term loan with a relatively low purchase clause - makes it even harder to stomach. Brozovic likely wouldn't have been a regular starter for Napoli this season, but he would have been a better reserve for Marek Hamsik than anyone else they have at the moment and his role versatility in central midfield could have been valuable for Napoli moving forward.

Final Thoughts

This wasn't a sexy transfer window, but Napoli got two players who look likely to be key contributors both down the stretch of this season and for the next few years as well. They got rid of a little deadweight on the wage bill, and found young players a couple of good-looking loans to gain experience. This is, in essence, what the winter window is meant for.

It would have been nice to see Napoli get a center back and maybe a midfielder who can back up Hamsik, but without major funds available, what we saw get done was always the likely cap unless a deal Napoli couldn't refuse popped up. If you're looking for a letter grade for this window, a good solid B+ seems like the right call; Napoli reinforced two positions in bad need of more talent, and didn't break the bank to do it. A center back coming in would have raised the grade, but otherwise there's really no complaints to be had.