Napoli's squad is the oldest in Serie A at 29 years, 14 days

The average age of the first-team squad is the highest in the division — a number that explains why the rebuild began back in January, and why it is far from finished.

by Gennaro SanninoThursday 17 September, 13:21 CET· 3 hours ago

29 anni e 14 giorni: il Napoli ha la rosa più vecchia della Serie A — Grafica Arena Napoli

Napoli's squad has an average age of 29 years and 14 days — the highest in Serie A. It is not just a number for the record books. It explains eight months of transfer business, and the work that is still to come.

The rebuild began in January, with the arrivals of Alisson Santos, 23, and Giovane, 22. It continued in the summer with Vergara's contract renewal and the signing of Favasuli from Catanzaro, on loan with an obligation to buy for €1m plus a further seven. Both Favasuli and Vergara are tied to the club until 2031, with three annual renewal clauses in each contract that could stretch the deals out to 2034. Favasuli, 22, was the only long-term investment of the entire transfer window.

Around them, Napoli are building a young core that also includes Marianucci, 22, Højlund, 23, Rafa Marín, 24, and Gilmour, 25. Badiashile, the same age as Gilmour, arrived from Chelsea only on loan with an option to buy — the club do not yet own his registration, so he remains a question mark rather than a settled part of the project.

The paradox at the other end

The paradox is that while Napoli build from the bottom, the squad risks getting older at the top too — for the wrong reasons. Lobotka is still waiting on a renewal that has not taken off, with his contract running out on 30 June 2027. McTominay has not agreed terms on a new deal and will weigh up offers at the end of the season, including one from Mourinho's Real Madrid. There is no concrete talk of a new deal for Anguissa, whose contract expires in June — the road points towards an exit. Three heavyweight midfield departures that the January window will have to try to cover, without pushing the average age back up.

Results lag behind the theory

Rejuvenation is also measured on the pitch, and there the jury is still out. Napoli are 10th with 6 points from 4 games, well off the pace set by Roma and Inter on 12. The young players easing into the side — Favasuli above all, who provided an assist on his debut in the win over Bologna — have shown promise. But the team as a whole has yet to find consistency: two wins and two defeats is a raw return for a project that wants to get younger without losing competitiveness.

The next piece of the rebuild will not arrive before January. The winter window reopens on 2 January and closes on 2 February 2027 — the only chance to move the average age again before the season ends. Until then, Napoli's rejuvenation will run mostly through minutes on the pitch: how much game time Allegri gives Favasuli, Marianucci and the club's other young players, rather than through the market.