:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46866746/GettyImages-185417007.0.jpg)
The deed has been done: as confirmed by Tottenham Hotspur, Napoli have officially signed Vlad Chiriches from the English club.
CONFIRMED: We have reached agreement with @sscnapoli for the transfer of Vlad Chiriches. We wish him every success. pic.twitter.com/dDqAmN9p6n
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) July 30, 2015
The 25 year old Romanian international joins after two years in England with Spurs, during which he played 43 all-competitions matches, scoring two goals along the way. Chiriches got onto the English team's radar when he starred at Steaua Bucharest for the prior season, and he's also played 32 times for Romania, earning the captain's armband despite his relatively young age for an international captain.
Napoli reportedly paid a €6 million fee and signed Chiriches to a five-year deal with so-far unspecified wages. How he fits into Maurizio Sarri's back line isn't immediately clear -- he's probably not better than Kalidou Koulibaly or Raul Albiol in the here and now based on his England form, but as Cartilage Free Captain head Dustin Menno told us on Wednesday, Spurs and England were probably a poor fit for Chiriches. With his deep well of physical and technical talent, he has a ton of upside as a signing -- certainly far more than Davide Astori would have offered -- and if Maurizio Sarri and his coaching staff can drill some better tactical nous into him, Chiriches could be one hell of a signing.
Welcome to Napoli, Vlad Chiriches. Best of luck, and enjoy that San Paolo crowd!
UPDATE -- The deal has also been confirmed by Napoli. This is now officially official, as official as official can be!
.@vlad_chiriches6 è un giocatore del Napoli. Il difensore rumeno è stato acquistato a titolo definitivo. pic.twitter.com/dA28Yzy4pD
— Official SSC Napoli (@sscnapoli) July 30, 2015