Alberto Grassi will wear 88 at Napoli

Napoli's newest signing might be starting his career sidelined by injury, but once he comes back he'll be wearing a number very familiar to Napoli fans.

Per the team's official press release to confirm the signing, Grassi has chosen to wear 88 with Napoli -- the same shirt number made famous by Gokhan Inler the past several seasons. Inler joined Napoli in 2011 and wore 88 all the way through his time with the club, which ended with a transfer to Leicester City this past summer. For most of his time in Naples, Inler did very well while wearing that unusual-for-the-sport number on his back -- and since changing to 33 in England, he's found the going to be very tough. Maybe he should change back.

Regardless, one hopes that Grassi finds at least as much success wearing 88 in Naples as Inler did. It should be noted, though, that Grassi isn't trying to replace Inler by wearing his number -- it's the same shirt number Grassi had at Atalanta. There's something to be said for comfort and familiarity, so hopefully carrying over the number that got his career off to such a strong start helps him continue on getting even strong with Napoli.

Once he's healthy, that is.