Lorenzo Tonelli
Much like Inglese and Chiriches, Lorenzo Tonelli never really carved out a role for himself at Napoli and now doesn’t have a path to one. In the two years he actually spent at Napoli, Tonelli made only 3 and 6 appearances before being sent out on loan. He performed very well during that loan stint with Sampdoria, but 19 impressive appearances aren’t enough for him to earn a spot in a crowded and talented defense.
However, it should be enough to drum up interest from other squads around Italy. He would provide some defensive solidity to any of Serie A’s more defensively challenged teams. For example, he would be a great replacement at Parma for the ancient Bruno Alves. Parma was the worst defensive team in Serie A last season that will actually be returning to the league next year. Tonelli would instantly improve the defense.
It’s unfortunate that Tonelli will never get the shot he was hoping for at Napoli, but the best solution for him at this point is to move on to a new chapter in his career. He’d never be a big part of this squad, but he could be a big member of another squad.
His transfer fee wouldn’t make a huge difference for Napoli’s budget, but the money would be more useful to them than carrying a center back who could potentially be stuck behind Kalidou Koulibaly, Kostas Manolas, Raul Albiol, and Nikola Maksimovic. Napoli is about to have way too many center backs on their squad and they’re gonna need to get rid of a couple of them. Tonelli should be one of those center backs that gets sacrificed.