Napoli chose Badiashile for his Monaco physicality and point to prove

Napoli pursued the French centre-back for a long time, drawn above all to the athletic qualities he showed at Monaco. At 25, after a spell in London that fell short of expectations, he still has room to relaunch his career in blue.

by Gennaro SanninoMonday 28 September, 22:59 CET· 2 hours ago

Badiashile con la maglia del SSC Napoli — Foto: napolissimo.it

Two reasons pushed Napoli to sign Benoît Badiashile after a long pursuit: the physical and athletic qualities the French defender had shown at Monaco, and the belief that at 25 he can still turn his career around and become an important option for Napoli's defence.

The move to Chelsea had not fully lived up to expectations, partly because of physical problems that disrupted his continuity. Napoli took him on a paid loan with an option to buy, still banking on those qualities, in a defensive department that has struggled for balance this season. In Allegri's hierarchy, Badiashile has played just ten minutes in five league matches so far.

His debut, in the 3-2 at San Siro against Inter, was not the easiest. Since then the Frenchman has barely seen the pitch, while Napoli's defence in front of him has rested mainly on Buongiorno and Rrahmani.

After the international break the fixture list changes scale. Frosinone visit the Maradona on 10 October, the first of nine matches in quick succession across Serie A and the Champions League that will keep Napoli playing practically every three days. That rush of fixtures will open up chances for the whole squad, Badiashile included — a player now asked to turn opportunities into real minutes and put the difficult debut in Milan behind him.