Manna sees similarity between Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia, explains collapsed Napoli deals | OneFootball

Napoli director Giovanni Manna sees a similarity between how Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia left the club and explains why the Partenopei could not sign Danilo or Pietro Comuzzo in January.

Manna explained Napoli’s moves in the winter transfer window during a press conference on Wednesday.

He said the club was “almost blackmailed” to send Kvaratskhelia to PSG, seeing a similarity with Osimhen, who left the Stadio Maradona in September to join Galatasaray on loan.

“The same thing happened with Osimhen in the summer. It is not right to go beyond our parameters, it is not right to overvalue a player or make wrong decisions,” Manna said via TuttoNapoli.

“This is our reality, but there is ambition and very high expectations now.

!However, we need to stay calm because we know our objectives. I’m not saying this because we don’t want to dream, but we must stay grounded in reality. This increases our chances of achieving our goals. I want to calm things down. I hear people saying we could have won the Scudetto, let’s take it easy.

“We all know the objective, the coach knows what we need to do, we all know it, and we will get there,” Manna continued.

“The transfer market didn’t end yesterday, and Napoli didn’t end yesterday. We need objectivity and consistency. We have demonstrated this with Osimhen and beyond. There are clubs that can do things we cannot, but that is fair, given our history and values. We are solid, profitable, and not in debt. If we have to make moves just to please the fans, that’s not who we are.

Manna sees similarity between Osimhen and Kvaratskhelia, explains collapsed Napoli deals

ISTANBUL, TURKEY – NOVEMBER 7: Victor Osimhen of Galatasaray reacts during the UEFA Europa League 2024/25 League Phase MD4 match between Galatasaray A.S. and Tottenham Hotspur at Ali Sami Yen Spor Kompleksi on November 07, 2024 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Ahmad Mora/Getty Images)

“I started in June, working step by step with the best coach available, his results speak for themselves. He was patient with us. We built the squad up until the last day of the market. The president allowed us to make moves even without selling Osimhen,” the Napoli director continued.

“This summer, we will be able to work differently. Kvara’s sale helps. Our first goal is to qualify for the Champions League, then plan ahead with a coach who now knows the squad better. Watching players on TV is one thing, but coaching them daily is another. We have an advantage and must be precise in our planning, as top clubs do.”

Napoli eventually signed Noah Okafor on loan with an option to buy from Milan to replace Osimhen, but the Partenopei had made formal offers for two defenders as well: ex-Juventus captain Danilo and Fiorentina’s Comuzzo.

“I personally know Danilo from my previous experience. Everything was agreed upon and when I say everything, I mean everything,” Manna revealed.

“We expected him to arrive in the days following the agreement, but he made a different life choice. There are also human factors involved.”

Danilo terminated his Juventus contract but joined Flamengo instead of Napoli.

“We pushed as far as we could because we thought we could get it done,” said Manna.

“Unfortunately, it turned out this way: he could have brought us valuable experience, but that’s how it went.

“Regarding Comuzzo, we saw him as an investment for the future. We believe he has great potential. His arrival would have allowed us to send Rafa Marin out on loan, as he wanted to go, and I had promised him that opportunity. Everything was set and documents ready; we were just waiting to bring in another defender.

“Comuzzo would not have counted towards the squad registration list, which was an important factor. We made a real, written offer. Then, when we realized negotiations weren’t moving forward, we had already exceeded our valuation of the player because in January, you often pay 15-20% more to secure an investment. So, we couldn’t complete the deal.”