Napoli invested €30m into Jesper Lindstrom less than 12 months ago, so why was he shipped out to Everton after a single season in Serie A?
The Toffees have now completed their signing of the 24-year-old Danish midfielder, picking him up on a €2.5m loan deal with a €22.5m buy option attached, covering his wages for the duration of the 2024-25 season.
Everton are hoping that Lindstrom can provide a much needed burst of creativity in the final third and are willing to take the risk after his unconvincing season with Napoli, clearly having memories of his time with Eintracht Frankfurt.
Lindstrom at Napoli: What happened?
Prior to his transfer to Italy, Lindstrom spent two seasons in Germany with Eintracht Frankfurt, where he emerged as an exciting talent on the European scene, being awarded the Bundesliga Rookie of the Season award for the 2021-22 campaign.
With the Eagles, the Danish playmaker scored 14 goals and provided 14 assists across 80 matches, impressing with his off-the-ball movement, his speed and his ability to press his opponents. Whilst his first touch is a little lacking, his skill at involving teammates made him an exciting prospect.
Napoli decided to take a punt on Lindstrom off the back of their Scudetto success, investing €30m into the playmaker, hoping he could slot in well in the new 4-3-3 system under Rudi Garcia. Predictably, things weren’t so simple in the Campania capital.
In his first 10 Serie A games under Rudi Garcia, Lindstrom started once, came off the bench for less than 30 minutes of play six times and was left as a substitute three times, not exactly a shining start for the 24-year-old.
Wider issues at Napoli ultimately forced Aurelio De Laurentiis to make a change in November, sacking the French coach and unexpectedly bringing in Walter Mazzarri. Unfortunately for the Danish playmaker, this change did little to improve his fortunes.
Under Mazzarri, Lindstrom didn’t start once in Serie A, mostly appearing off the bench for cameo appearances, limiting his greatest involvement to 31 minutes against Genoa. Again, he failed to make an impact, clearly struggling amidst the chaos in Campania.
By now, Napoli had clearly started to lose faith in Lindstrom and their third coach of the 2023-24 season, Francesco Calzona, essentially gave the playmaker zero opportunities to prove himself, leaving him benched six times and starting him just once.
It’s not hard to see why the Dane failed to impress in his debut season with Napoli, struggling to settle as the club failed to shake off their post-Scudetto malaise, hardly having the chance to prove himself and justify his €30m price tag.
When Lindstrom signed for Napoli in August 2023, he rejected an approach from Liverpool in order to push through the move to Italy. In an interview with Tipsbladet at the time, he explained his reasoning, providing further context to his tough year with Napoli.
“It was Liverpool and I’m a Liverpool supporter, so it would’ve been a madly fascinating experience, but would it have been an intelligent move?
“If I don’t play, then I may as well sit in front of the TV and watch them play there while I’m at a different club. I’m at an age now where I have to play football.
“This is why I think Napoli represent a good change. They’re one of the best clubs in the world and they said I’ll have many opportunities to play.”
Lindstrom’s transfer to Everton is the perfect opportunity for him to prove himself on the biggest stage and he’s clearly hungry to respond on the pitch after being branded a flop at Napoli, who’ve now started a new project under Antonio Conte.