After two and a half years, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s time at SSC Napoli seems to be coming to an end. Napoli coach Antonio Conte confirmed that the Georgian has expressed a desire to leave.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia “has asked the club for a transfer. I spoke to the player and he confirmed this decision to me,” said Antonio Conte on Saturday at Napoli’s press conference ahead of the home game against Verona (Sunday, 8:45 p.m.). For the head coach of SSC, this statement felt “like a bolt from the blue”.
However, the left winger’s desire to leave does not come out of nowhere. In particular, the French champions Paris St. Germain are said to have taken a liking to the Georgian, according to media reports. A move to the city of love is considered the most likely scenario.
The 40-time national team player moved from Georgian club Dinamo Batumi to Napoli in the summer of 2022, for whom he has scored 30 goals and provided 20 assists in 107 appearances in two and a half seasons so far. Kvaratskhelia scored 25 goals in his debut season of 2022/23 alone, which the SSC was able to crown with its first league title in 33 years.
Napoli loses “an important player”
Where the attacker will ultimately end up is unlikely to be of much interest to Conte. Instead, the Italian is facing the bitter reality that he will probably have to plan without Kvaratskhelia from now on: “I would never want him to think one day – should he stay – that I kept him here. Last summer, I did that in the hope of convincing him of the quality of the project, but obviously I didn’t succeed. We are losing an important player.”
The current league leaders have not yet had time to think about who could replace the Georgian due to his surprising desire to leave. While Conte is focusing on “using the current squad in the best possible way”, Napoli are looking for players “who can add value to the team”. However, “the risk of making a mistake” in the winter transfer window “is high,” the coach said.
For this reason, Conte “can’t wait for this January to be over because it’s causing some problems.” Could Kvaratskhelia also leave?