Paolo Di Canio shared his thoughts on Napoli’s summer transfers and their prospects for the season ahead in a lengthy interview with Il Mattino. The former player didn’t hold back in his criticism of Manchester United’s transfer decisions while praising Napoli’s acquisitions.
Regarding the summer transfer window, Di Canio stated: “I would go to Manchester United to arrest all the directors: how can you give away McTominay? There’s someone like Neres who is a reserve and is in his prime. Gilmour at Brighton has shown to have the same characteristics of ball control and clarity as Lobotka. Conte had Lukaku brought in, who is his totem and he takes him everywhere. In short, there’s only reason to be optimistic and almost obligated to achieve Champions League placement.”
Looking ahead to Napoli’s upcoming fixtures, Di Canio expressed excitement: “Where you can fly away, because if you come out of the trio of matches against Inter, Atalanta, and Milan still first in the standings, you have to start wearing a new uniform and start dreaming.”
Di Canio also commented on recent VAR controversies: “I’ll say it: I’ve seen ridiculous penalties. They’re ‘breaking’ football. Because few among the referees know the dynamics of the game. And then you get to the absurd situation where a real penalty, like the push on Kvara, isn’t given even though it’s a foul as big as a hundred-story building. Because when one swerves, hunches to charge, thus leaning forward because I have to hit the ball and keep it low, even the smallest oscillation makes you go to the ground.”
On the topic of player protests, Di Canio noted: “For heaven’s sake. In England, it’s not a game for schoolgirls, but there’s fair play. I don’t see people whining at every contact. Two friends like Bergomi and Costacurta would crush your foot with steel cleats like those for climbing in the snow during throw-ins. And that was beautiful too…”
