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Cavani, Hamsik or Lavezzi? Which of Napoli's three attacking stars is most needed at Manchester City?
Roberto Mancini's side travel to Naples on Tuesday with their Champions League future hanging in the balance but the Italian is likely to have his eye on more than just the result
22 Nov 2011 08:40:00
Getty Images
DEBATE
By Jonathan Birchall
Even after humiliating their arch rivals 6-1 at the Theatre of Dreams, Roberto Mancini called upon his Manchester City side to improve. It is indicative of the man and the project that he is currently overseeing that resting on laurels is simply no longer an option at the Etihad Stadium.
As such, it comes as little surprise that with the January transfer window approaching, City have been linked yet again with some of the continent's most sought-after stars. Three of which, by chance, are currently spearheading Napoli's Serie A title charge and with the two sides meeting at San Paolo on Tuesday, Mancini may be scouting out his opponents' talent with a view to a post-Christmas splurge.
The club's chief scout Carlo Cancellieri has admitted an interest in Edinson Cavani, Marek Hamsik and Ezequiel Lavezzi while Mancini, although acknowledging the difficulties in signing the three, has also been overt in his courtship of them.
To sign one of triumvirate would err on the side of bare-faced posturing by a club already averaging 3.5 goals per game in the Premier League this season. If City do have deficiencies, then it's difficult to argue that they are up front.
Take into account that the the club have just recorded £194.9 million losses over the last 12 months and a shopping trip in Naples comes across as little more than a two-fingered salute to Michel Platini's forthcoming Financial Fair Play rules.
That said, the imminent departure of Carlos Tevez will leave Mancini one attacking option short of what he had anticipated at the start of the season (not that they've needed him) so to bolster their arsenal makes some sense. The question mark that remains is which player would bring the most to the Premier League leaders and Goal.com has taken a look each option.
With the form of Mario Balotelli as the spearhead of City's attacks edging closer and closer to truly world-class, the signing of Cavani would most likely be as a replacement for Edin Dzeko, who himself has been in excellent form for the most part of this season.
At only 21, Super Mario is likely to struggle with fatigue when fighting on multiple fronts and the Uruguayan would certainly provide an alternative with an eye for goal. That said, Cavani's arrival would surely irk Dzeko, who already has 10 goals in nine Premier League appearances this term.
Goal.com International's Italian Editor Kris Voakes says: While goalscorers are worth their weight in gold in the modern game, Cavani is not necessarily the first person one might think of when considering goal machines. Whereas he thrives on space being created in behind defences for him to run into, he can struggle when defences allow him to receive the ball into feet but stop him from turning.
Whether this is something that Mancini wants to harness remains to be seen, but one would suggest that if you’re about to spend £30m on a striker, you’d be looking for a player who will need little work to become one of the very best. Though Cavani has the potential, he may be some way off realising it in its entirety just yet
Having netted 33 goals in all competitions last season, he quickly became a hero to the fans of the San Paolo club, and with four-and-a-half years still to run on his contract in Naples, it would take a mega bid for the Uruguayan to be sold. However, should such a big offer come – which obviously is not beyond City’s capability – Napoli could well decide that there is a similar forward out there for them to bring through in exactly the same way they have helped to propel Cavani into the European spotlight.
The signing of Hamsik would also be somewhat difficult to fathom, when looking at the form of David Silva, Samir Nasri and even Yaya Toure in advanced midfield positions for City this season, and it's difficult to see what the Slovakian would bring to the Etihad Stadium that isn't already present in abundance.
Hamsik was the best player on the pitch when the sides first met in Manchester back in September but it's hard to see where he would fit in an already ultra-competitive area of City's squad.
Kris Voakes says: Hamsik's attacking midfield position is not that of a normal trequartista, normally starting from deeper than the regular No.10. His tendency to go missing for long periods in games, and to go through spells of several matches without hitting the heights, could be off-putting to City, but his sheer quality when he is on form could be enough to persuade them to pay out on him.
Everybody has their price, and while Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has spoken regularly in the past of his desire to keep Hamsik, he would seem to be the most replaceable of the front three at the moment given the specialty of the roles that Lavezzi and Cavani perform.
The player most suited to Premier League football on paper, Ezequiel Lavezzi, would possibly also be the least logical target of the three, with the Argentina international having often shown discomfort when utilised in a 4-3-3 formation similar to that used by Mancini.
Lavezzi's tenacity and work-rate would certainly mirror that of the soon-to-be absent Tevez and if he could force his way into the first-team at the Etihad Stadium then defenders in England's top division would have yet another reason to fear a visit from the current league leaders.
Kris Voakes: Lavezzi's ability to drive beyond defenders – and often at a speed faster that he himself appears to be – makes him a player who could easily transfer his skills to benefit a top Premier League side. He commits opponents to such a degree that his team-mates often get more of the spotlight due to them revelling in the space he leaves behind, but there should be no doubting the fact that he is the key man, and also the one most suited to English football.
The Argentine is easily the most valuable commodity at Napoli. With his ability to go on winding runs, taking several opponents out of the picture to create space elsewhere for team-mates, makes him one of the most dangerous players in Serie A.
The club hierarchy are well aware of just how big a negative impact it could have should they sell him, but the one thing working in their favour if they want to sell is the fact that Cavani has seemingly replaced Lavezzi as the big fans’ favourite with many of the San Paolo faithful.
There is certainly an argument to be made that each player would add unquestionable talent to the City ranks but with Mancini's men flying and the significant outlay that each would command, would a raid on the San Paolo really be worth it?
Let us know which Napoli star you think the Etihad outfit should target in our poll below...
Follow Jonathan Birchall on
Follow Kris Voakes on
By Jonathan Birchall
Even after humiliating their arch rivals 6-1 at the Theatre of Dreams, Roberto Mancini called upon his Manchester City side to improve. It is indicative of the man and the project that he is currently overseeing that resting on laurels is simply no longer an option at the Etihad Stadium.
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As such, it comes as little surprise that with the January transfer window approaching, City have been linked yet again with some of the continent's most sought-after stars. Three of which, by chance, are currently spearheading Napoli's Serie A title charge and with the two sides meeting at San Paolo on Tuesday, Mancini may be scouting out his opponents' talent with a view to a post-Christmas splurge.
The club's chief scout Carlo Cancellieri has admitted an interest in Edinson Cavani, Marek Hamsik and Ezequiel Lavezzi while Mancini, although acknowledging the difficulties in signing the three, has also been overt in his courtship of them.
To sign one of triumvirate would err on the side of bare-faced posturing by a club already averaging 3.5 goals per game in the Premier League this season. If City do have deficiencies, then it's difficult to argue that they are up front.
Take into account that the the club have just recorded £194.9 million losses over the last 12 months and a shopping trip in Naples comes across as little more than a two-fingered salute to Michel Platini's forthcoming Financial Fair Play rules.
That said, the imminent departure of Carlos Tevez will leave Mancini one attacking option short of what he had anticipated at the start of the season (not that they've needed him) so to bolster their arsenal makes some sense. The question mark that remains is which player would bring the most to the Premier League leaders and Goal.com has taken a look each option.
| EDINSON CAVANI | Striker, 24 |
 Read more on Cavani |
|
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With the form of Mario Balotelli as the spearhead of City's attacks edging closer and closer to truly world-class, the signing of Cavani would most likely be as a replacement for Edin Dzeko, who himself has been in excellent form for the most part of this season.
At only 21, Super Mario is likely to struggle with fatigue when fighting on multiple fronts and the Uruguayan would certainly provide an alternative with an eye for goal. That said, Cavani's arrival would surely irk Dzeko, who already has 10 goals in nine Premier League appearances this term.
Goal.com International's Italian Editor Kris Voakes says: While goalscorers are worth their weight in gold in the modern game, Cavani is not necessarily the first person one might think of when considering goal machines. Whereas he thrives on space being created in behind defences for him to run into, he can struggle when defences allow him to receive the ball into feet but stop him from turning.
Whether this is something that Mancini wants to harness remains to be seen, but one would suggest that if you’re about to spend £30m on a striker, you’d be looking for a player who will need little work to become one of the very best. Though Cavani has the potential, he may be some way off realising it in its entirety just yet
Having netted 33 goals in all competitions last season, he quickly became a hero to the fans of the San Paolo club, and with four-and-a-half years still to run on his contract in Naples, it would take a mega bid for the Uruguayan to be sold. However, should such a big offer come – which obviously is not beyond City’s capability – Napoli could well decide that there is a similar forward out there for them to bring through in exactly the same way they have helped to propel Cavani into the European spotlight.
| MAREK HAMSIK | Midfielder, 24 |
 Read more on Hamsik |
|
||||||||||||||
The signing of Hamsik would also be somewhat difficult to fathom, when looking at the form of David Silva, Samir Nasri and even Yaya Toure in advanced midfield positions for City this season, and it's difficult to see what the Slovakian would bring to the Etihad Stadium that isn't already present in abundance.
Hamsik was the best player on the pitch when the sides first met in Manchester back in September but it's hard to see where he would fit in an already ultra-competitive area of City's squad.
Kris Voakes says: Hamsik's attacking midfield position is not that of a normal trequartista, normally starting from deeper than the regular No.10. His tendency to go missing for long periods in games, and to go through spells of several matches without hitting the heights, could be off-putting to City, but his sheer quality when he is on form could be enough to persuade them to pay out on him.
Everybody has their price, and while Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis has spoken regularly in the past of his desire to keep Hamsik, he would seem to be the most replaceable of the front three at the moment given the specialty of the roles that Lavezzi and Cavani perform.
| EZEQUIEL LAVEZZI | Striker, 26 |
 Read more on Lavezzi |
|
||||||||||||||
The player most suited to Premier League football on paper, Ezequiel Lavezzi, would possibly also be the least logical target of the three, with the Argentina international having often shown discomfort when utilised in a 4-3-3 formation similar to that used by Mancini.
Lavezzi's tenacity and work-rate would certainly mirror that of the soon-to-be absent Tevez and if he could force his way into the first-team at the Etihad Stadium then defenders in England's top division would have yet another reason to fear a visit from the current league leaders.
Kris Voakes: Lavezzi's ability to drive beyond defenders – and often at a speed faster that he himself appears to be – makes him a player who could easily transfer his skills to benefit a top Premier League side. He commits opponents to such a degree that his team-mates often get more of the spotlight due to them revelling in the space he leaves behind, but there should be no doubting the fact that he is the key man, and also the one most suited to English football.
The Argentine is easily the most valuable commodity at Napoli. With his ability to go on winding runs, taking several opponents out of the picture to create space elsewhere for team-mates, makes him one of the most dangerous players in Serie A.
The club hierarchy are well aware of just how big a negative impact it could have should they sell him, but the one thing working in their favour if they want to sell is the fact that Cavani has seemingly replaced Lavezzi as the big fans’ favourite with many of the San Paolo faithful.
There is certainly an argument to be made that each player would add unquestionable talent to the City ranks but with Mancini's men flying and the significant outlay that each would command, would a raid on the San Paolo really be worth it?
Let us know which Napoli star you think the Etihad outfit should target in our poll below...
Follow Jonathan Birchall on
Follow Kris Voakes on
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| Open an account with Sportingbet today and get up to £50 in free bets! |
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| Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25 |
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| Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200 |
|
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