Lucca set to leave in January as Lang's future stays open

Napoli's 1-1 draw with Lazio at the Maradona was played to whistles and chants, and the split dressing room is back at the top of the agenda. The January window could change the group.

by Rosaria CimminoMonday 9 November, 07:17 CET· yesterday

Lorenzo Lucca — Foto: Original: Giova36 / Derivative work: Danyele · CC BY-SA 4.0

The 1-1 draw with Lazio settled nothing. At the Maradona the whistles came before, during and after the match. Lang and Lucca were among those booed hardest. Lucca was jeered as he came on. Lang cupped a finger to his ear, first towards the Curva A and then towards the Curva B, the two ends behind the goals.

The table is no help. Napoli are tenth on 15 points after 11 matches. They are 9 points off fourth place, which is Allegri's stated target, and 14 behind leaders Lazio.

Lucca heading for the exit

Lucca has not scored this season. After his row with De Bruyne in Porto, a January departure is described as almost certain. We have covered this before: Monza are asking for around €20m, Benfica hold a buy-back clause, and Manna has already moved for Varela with an offer of €15-18m plus bonuses.

Lang: a more open question

Lang's case is less clear-cut. After the 4-1 in Porto he walked straight to the dressing room while his teammates apologised in front of the away supporters. Against Lazio he tried to skip the salute to the two ends before the staff brought him back onto the pitch.

Those are facts, and they count. But the mood around the club is one thing and a decision by the club is another. So far the club has said nothing.

Backing for Allegri, with a warning

Allegri is under contract until 30 June 2029, on €6m net a season. After the Lazio game, the club reportedly has no contact with other coaches and there is no sign of an imminent change. The backing comes with a warning, though: this league position is not acceptable. De Laurentiis has promised reinforcements in January and wants an immediate turnaround.

For us, the point is this. If signings arrive, they have to help put back together a dressing room where, for weeks, there have been insults, apologies not everyone agreed with and disputed training camps. Filling gaps in the squad is not enough.

"Sono fatti, e pesano."

The window reopens on 2 January and closes on 2 February at 20:00 CET. Before then comes Torino, at the Maradona on Saturday 21 November at 20:45 CET (19:45 UK, 14:45 ET). Against a side near the bottom of the table, nobody here will forgive another slip.