Napoli's Rrahmani and Marianucci renewals are done, just not announced

Rrahmani and Marianucci have both agreed new Napoli contracts in substance, if not yet on paper: only the official club announcements are missing. The Kosovo centre-back put pen to paper as far back as May, before last season had even finished, while Marianucci's agreement is more recent, sealed just a few days ago. Why neither announcement has arrived yet remains an open question.

The picture is reversed in midfield. There appear to be no grounds for an agreement with Frank Anguissa at the terms his camp is asking for, with his contract running to 30 June 2027. The risk of losing him on a free transfer remains real, with Milan tracking the situation. That is the issue weighing heaviest right now: Anguissa is the only midfielder who guarantees defensive reliability, and there is no deputy for him.

That has fed the idea of bringing in a replacement as early as January, so Napoli are not caught short if Anguissa leaves for nothing. But the plan is tied to a top-four finish, a scenario to treat with caution for a side currently ninth with 7 points from 5 games. The winter window opens on Saturday 2 January and closes on Tuesday 2 February 2027 regardless.

Question marks also remain over Lorenzo Lucca and Noa Lang, both close to leaving last January before staying at Napoli. The sense is that at least one of them could still depart — a fate already written once and only postponed, hardly a reassuring novelty.

The back three project

On the tactical side, before turning to Benoît Badiashile on loan from Chelsea, the club had considered both Mario Gila and Federico Gatti in the summer to complete a three-man defence; both leads came to nothing. Now it is up to the Frenchman to prove himself on the pitch, with Sam Beukema pushing for a place and the option of using Mathías Olivera or Giovanni Di Lorenzo as wing-backs still on Massimiliano Allegri's table as he looks to return to a back three.