Vlad Chiriches nears Galatasaray signing

Reports coming out of Italy suggest that Napoli defender Vlad Chiriches is close to the exit door, with a reported €5 million move to Turkish side Galatasary looming.

Chiriches hasn’t always been a popular figure with Napoli fans during his two-year tenure with the club, with a few high-profile mistakes and a few lackluster performances in his irregular stretches of play souring many on the Romanian international. Chiriches played 33 times for Napoli in all competitions over two years, mostly in a rotation and reserve capacity, never really gaining the sustained support of Maurizio Sarri or the Napoli fans.

But for all the disregard, Chiriches was for the most part a solid enough player. Was he a star and a guaranteed top-notch performance? No, but for €7 million you’re generally not going to get that. For a club like Napoli, he was a very solid backup defender, and a valuable part of the club.

Now Vlad Chiriches wants more playing time, something understandable after playing so irregularly over the last couple of years. That playing time wasn’t going to come in Naples, especially with the club hoping that Lorenzo Tonelli and Nikola Maksimovic both have healthier campaigns next season after struggling so much with fitness over the past year. So a move away makes sense, and with Galatasaray a team trying to get back to the pinnacle of Turkish football, they make a very desirable project for a player like Chiriches to be a part of.

Wherever he goes, we at the Siren’s Song appreciate what Chiriches did for Napoli in his time with the club, and wish him the best in his future.