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OK, this one's a bit strange, but here we are: Napoli have officially announced the signing of now-former Empoli fullback Elseid Hysaj. A player who on Sunday already pulled on a a Napoli shirt and played in a match. Apparently without officially being part of the club yet. Yep.
La #SSCNapoli ufficializza l'acquisto di #Hysaj. La scheda tecnica qui http://t.co/sHWHubMS2B pic.twitter.com/Wz7UehW1Dh
— Official SSC Napoli (@sscnapoli) August 3, 2015
The deal is for a reported €5 million plus bonuses, with Hysaj signing a contract that will tie him to Napoli until 2020. The 21 year old Albanian international is a versatile, impressive player with significant upside. He was one of Empoli's best under Maurizio Sarri last season, and now he'll be hoping to take further steps forward under the same manager at a much bigger club.
Hysaj is primarily a right back, but can also do solid work on the left, an element that Napoli will surely be taking advantage of quite a bit this season -- indeed, he made his Napoli debut in the Nice friendly on the left side. He had a solid enough performance considering he was making a friendly debut a day after having a medical and flying out to France, maybe getting in one light practice with his new team before taking the field.
So welcome to Napoli, Elseid. Welcome again? Re-welcome? This is awkward. Either way, we hope your career in Naples is wildly successful and makes everyone incredibly happy.