Former Napoli full back Faouzi Ghoulam told DAZN that the club were confident about Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s incredible quality almost a year before signing him.
The 22-year-old Georgian winger is again in the headlines after a truly sensational goal in the Partenopei’s 2-0 win over Atalanta yesterday, a moment that showed his ability to produce pure magic with a ball between his feet.
Kvaratskhelia has been one of the best players in Europe since his arrival last summer, scoring 13 goals and providing 15 assists in 28 appearances across Serie A and the Champions League, playing a key role in Napoli’s charge to the Scudetto.
Speaking to DAZN, Ghoulam highlighted how Napoli knew they were on to a winner with Kvaratskhelia almost a year before they secured his signature.
“Giuntoli already told me in October 2021 that he had seen a phenomenal Georgian, but he cost too much and they were dropping the price in order to get him.
“The staff and the coach had also already seen him. There was a report from Calzona, the current coach of Slovakia, who had already had his eye on him months earlier. To adapt in the Italian league is really difficult, even Spalletti was good at putting him in.
“But already seven or eight months before signing him, Napoli were sure of him and his qualities and wanted to buy him.”
Kvaratskhelia is continuing to prove himself a generational talent and is symbolic of the beauties of Luciano Spalletti’s Napoli, allowing them to even dream of glory on the European stage.