Italian football expert James Horncastle:
“Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis is a movie producer. He has a penchant for showmanship. Remember how he unveiled new signing Gokhan Inler last summer in a lion’s mask? Well, tonight he might have gone one better.
“At the beginning of a press conference called to reveal the future of star striker Edinson Cavani, he opened with a sombre look on his face. “At times marriages come to an end,” he said. “Unfortunately Edi wants to go to England, to that cold city of Manchester, and there’s a plane ready to take him there.”
Cavani is sitting next to him in a fit of the giggles and has to interrupt the charade. “What plane!,” he said. “I am staying at Napoli.” Delighted, De Laurentiis then turns to him and says: “Well sign then! Bring me the contract.”
Cavani goes on to put pen to paper in front of the cameras then they hold up his No.7 shirt with 2017 written on the back.
“Wonderful stuff.
Ingenious. Any club interested in Cavani will now have to pay the buy-out clause included in his new contract, which is said to be around €60m. Napoli deserve credit.
Tying now Cavani, a player widely considered to be one of the best strikers in the world, is maybe the best piece of business done by an Italian club on deadline day.”
