Napoli fans question Manna's transfer work after 3-3 draw with Roma

The debate has moved from the pitch to the people who built the squad: a €31m centre-back, a €50m striker without a goal since 5 September and a loan signing already injured.

by Rosaria CimminoSunday 25 October, 13:13 CET· 11 hours ago

Lo stadio Diego Armando Maradona di Napoli

Lo stadio Diego Armando Maradona — Foto: C.R. · CC BY-SA 3.0

The 3-3 draw with Roma at the Maradona has barely finished, and the argument has already left the pitch. It is no longer just about head coach Allegri and a lead thrown away. It is about who built this squad, and the name coming back is sporting director Giovanni Manna.

Start with the facts. Beukema cost €31m. Some supporters blame him for staying down after the contact on Balerdi's goal in the 89th minute, convinced that a touch no longer stops play. We are not referees. On DAZN's post-match show, Marelli's replay analysis ruled the goal regular, while Rafa Marín called it a clear foul. The underlying point remains, and it is uncomfortable: a €31m defender should settle a match, not be the subject of its debate.

Then Badiashile, who joined on loan from Chelsea on 7 October. He is injured after the Roma game and the diagnosis is due within 48 hours. A serious accusation is circulating among fans: that his fitness problems were known and nobody at the club took them into account. We have no evidence of what the club knew. We can say that a defender signed to cover an emergency and sidelined after three weeks is a real problem. Monza are days away, and Buongiorno has had a knee operation on his meniscus and is expected back in January.

The loudest case is Højlund. Roughly €50m invested, two goals this season, none since 5 September. He started against Roma too, and he visibly works hard for the team. But a striker bought at that price is judged on goals, and McTominay is the one scoring them now, including both on Saturday. If the attacking burden falls on a midfielder, the striker department has a hole.

Here is the question we do not want to merely hint at. Neres, Alisson Santos, Favasuli and Vergara have all had physical problems. Is it chance, the conditioning work, or the choice of players signed? We do not know and will not pretend to. We do know that on 21 October Manna confirmed Allegri and said the squad needs to get younger. That sentence needs finishing: younger how, and with what physical guarantees, given that the transfer window closed on 1 September and until 2 January only free agents can be signed?

There is time to correct course, but not much. Napoli are ninth with 11 points, 11 behind leaders Lazio, and 22nd in the Champions League with 3 points. On Wednesday 28 October, at 20:45 CET (19:45 UK, 14:45 ET), they play Monza at the U-Power Stadium, and we will see whether this squad holds up without its injured players. Porto follow on 4 November. If the answer on the pitch is again the one from Saturday, the questions about the transfer work can no longer go unanswered.