New Napoli midfielder Jens Cajuste spoke highly of coach Rudi Garcia and admitted he ‘wouldn’t have been happy’ had he been the central figure in the Victor Osimhen TikTok feud.
The Partenopei were briefly thrown off course recently after the club’s official TikTok account sparked controversy by posting two videos making fun of star striker Osimhen – the first compared him to a coconut and the second joked about his missed penalty in the draw with Bologna.
Osimhen’s agent Roberto Calenda threatened to take legal action and the videos were deleted before the club released a statement in response, which failed to convince supporters. Things have since calmed down, but it was a tense period for Napoli and their fans.
Speaking to Sportbladet, Cajuste first discussed the importance of football in Naples.
“The climate in the city changes every week and depends on the result of the matches. If you go to a bar after a defeat, there’s not the same welcome as after a victory. You realise that immediately.”
He reflected on his difficult debut with the Partenopei, a 3-1 win over Frosinone where he gave away a penalty.
“After the penalty, it couldn’t have been worse! The expectations are very high, but as far as I’m concerned, I’m fitting in better day by day and I feel I’m growing.”
The 24-year-old spoke about coach Garcia, whose future in the Campania capital is in doubt after the team’s slow start.
“I like working with Rudi Garcia, he’s a great coach. He’s been very useful for me, he’s French and I’m from France, so we communicate that way. This is like making me feel safe.”
Cajuste spoke candidly about the recent Osimhen controversy and how it felt from the players’ perspective.
“Strange situation. I don’t follow social media much, so I heard about it from others. I was a bit surprised, but I didn’t think much about it because I had so much else to focus on.
“The situation surprised me because it was strictly about one player, so I can’t say any more. We talked about it a bit in the dressing room, but there’s always more to do and the game against Real Madrid was approaching, so we moved on.”
Finally, Cajuste was asked how he would’ve responded had he been Osimhen.
“I could probably only answer if it happened to me, I certainly wouldn’t have been very happy.”