Napoli retain two more players from co-ownership agreements

Napoli tied up two more co-ownership deals on the Thursday deadline, including one for their brightest defensive prospect, as they agreed to deals with lower league clubs Lecce and Crotone to retain Sebastiano Luperto and Jacopo Dezi.

Luperto played very well during Napoli's preseason matches a year ago, and was a frequent presence on the bench when they needed an extra defender if someone was hurt or suspended, which was often. He made his first team debut in May, coming in as a late substitute in Napoli's 2-0 win over Milan, and didn't look at all out of place or uncomfortable. He turns 19 in September, and looks ready for a loan to a lower-league club to get some first team playing time, perhaps even to a Serie B side.

Dezi, 23, has played for Crotone for the past two seasons after the Serie B cub and Napoli entered a co-ownership agreement for him in 2013. He was once more highly regarded, but his star has fallen since Napoli first signed him in 2011, and now it's questionable whether he'll even make a terribly useful Serie A player or not. Napoli retaining Dezi is a minor surprise, though they may already have another move in mind for him.

Agent Diego Nappi represents both players, and he sounded fairly optimistic about his clients' chances at long-term success with the club. "Naples is a difficult place, but my clients have an enormous opportunity that must be exploited. With [Raul] Albiol and [Pepe] Reina, Luperto can learn a lot."

ed. note: Insigne's agent might want to take notes on how an agent should act in interviews.

Terms of the two agreements were undisclosed, but were likely financially insignificant. If Napoli spent even €1 million combined on the two deals, it would be something of a surprise, though if Lecce wanted to play hardball on Luperto that wouldn't be a total shock. While Dezi's future seems murky at best with Napoli, fans should keep a close eye on how Luperto progresses over the next few years -- he could be quite a bright player for them once he's had some time to grow on the pitch.