De Bruyne misses Venezia penalty as Napoli's contract question grows

Stankovic's save in the 68th minute is the image from Venezia. De Bruyne took the penalty at 1-0, with Napoli already ahead 29 shots to 9 and 12 corners to none. Scoring would have changed the game. He missed, and Venezia, under Nicola, won at the Penzo for their first victory of the season. It is Napoli's fifth defeat in nine official games.

Then came a misunderstanding with the bench: an instruction to narrow his range, not followed. Allegri played it down before the Venezia game. "Annoyed with De Bruyne? Absolutely not [...] there was a misunderstanding on the pitch, but that's the end of it. Kevin is an intelligent lad and he understood."

We will ask the uncomfortable question: does it make sense to keep a player of his calibre on a part-time basis? His contract expires on 30 June 2027. De Laurentiis is said to be weighing the automatic one-year extension he already holds, with a clause tied to appearance and goal bonuses through to 2029. The alternative is losing him on a free transfer, with San Diego FC, Inter Miami and Chicago Fire reported to be interested. The window reopens on 2 January, so a decision on the Belgian cannot wait until the spring.

Pinning it all on him would be too easy, though. The wider picture is a summer without targeted investment, with liquid reserves of close to €200m left untouched. It is a run of injuries too: Anguissa, Neres and Alisson Santos have all been hurt again after returning. The coach's choices are not convincing either. Then there is the flop of Lucca, signed for €35m and left on the bench against both Frosinone and Venezia. Making De Bruyne and McTominay work together is still Allegri's tactical knot.

There is also the president's silence. It is not loud yet, but it is there, and Napoli supporters have learned to weigh De Laurentiis's silences. Meanwhile the table shows Napoli ninth with 10 points from seven games, nine behind leaders Inter.

Bodø/Glimt visit the Maradona on Tuesday 20 October at 21:00 CET (20:00 UK, 15:00 ET). Napoli have no points in the Champions League after Arsenal and Villarreal. Roma follow on Saturday 24 October. In those two games De Bruyne has to show he is still the player this team needs.