Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in the availability of Polish playmaker Piotr Zielinski, who could depart Napoli this summer.
According to Italian football journalist Alfredo Pedulla, Napoli playmaker Zielinski might be open to exploring new avenues in the summer after closing curtains on a complicated year in the Naples.
Tottenham could be one of the interested parties hoping to take advantage of the opportunity to capture the technically-gifted footballer if he becomes available this summer, with Spurs boss Antonio Conte holding high admiration for the Napoli star.
Conte even tried to sign Zielinski in the summer of 2019 when he was at Inter Milan, but a deal was not feasible at the time thanks to a high release clause embedded in his Napoli contract. However, with Napoli assessing the 28-year-old’s situation on whether he features in manager Luciano Spalletti’s plans moving forward, it could be a whole different story this time around.
Zielinski has proven to be a fantastic signing for the Serie A giants since moving across Italy from Udinese to Napoli in the summer of 2016. The 28-year-old playmaker has become a vital cog in Napoli’s midfield in recent seasons, making 280 competitive appearances across his six seasons at the club, while chipping in with 39 goals and 33 assists along the way.
#Zielinski e il #Napoli rifletteranno sul futuro. In caso di addio, occhio anche al #Tottenham: #Conte lo avrebbe voluto all’#Inter 3 anni fa
— Alfredo Pedullà (@AlfredoPedulla) May 20, 2022
The Polish playmaker was in the form of his life in Naples at the start of the current season and was considered one of the top midfielders in Serie A. But his form has deteriorated in the second part of the season as he struggled to recover from a COVID-19 setback.
In total, he has notched five goals and five assists in Serie A this season, but all those goal involvements came five months ago. And this downturn is cited as one of the reasons behind Napoli’s inability to mount a sustained Scudetto bid.
Fabio Paratici, Tottenham’s director of football, has had success at Spurs with players recruited from Serie A, such as Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski, who arrived in January and provided a much-needed spark to propel the team to the brink of UEFA Champions League qualification.
The upcoming window will arguably prove even more crucial if Tottenham manage to make the top four this season, and it would not be surprising if Paratici turns into raiding Serie A once more this summer to add more quality to Conte’s roster.
Zielinski, who can play in a host of midfield positions, would bring the creativity, versatility, and goals from the middle of the park that is currently lacking in the Tottenham setup. Not to mention, at 28, he is right in his prime and will add top-level experience to the Tottenham squad.
While the Polish playmaker has two years left to run on his existing Napoli deal, the Serie A club may look to cash in on their asset to reinvest in their squad this summer. Many big superstars like Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne are expected to leave, while other regular starters such as Fabian Ruiz, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Victor Osimhen have also been heavily linked with a move away from the Naples outfit.
