Dries Mertens says he is staying at Napoli to break Marek Hamsik’s goalscoring record for the club.
Mertens turned 32 on Monday and marked his birthday with a goal during Napoli’s 2-1 win against Cagliari, which took him on to 107 strikes for the Partenopei – just 16 behind Hamsik.
“I want to stay and beat Marek’s record, to remain in this club’s history,” the forward told Gazzetta dello Sport.
Dries Mertens says he is staying at Napoli to break Marek Hamsik’s goalscoring record for the club.
Mertens turned 32 on Monday and marked his birthday with a goal during Napoli’s 2-1 win against Cagliari, which took him on to 107 strikes for the Partenopei – just 16 behind Hamsik.
“I want to stay and beat Marek’s record, to remain in this club’s history,” the forward told Gazzetta dello Sport.
"I’m staying because I feel good here. We’ll see what the club want to do and then we’ll see ourselves.
“This year we have to tell the truth. If we look at the other teams, they’re all strong and we’re 10 points ahead of Inter.
“If we look in the mirror we know we can give more, but we tried and gave everything.
“Even against Cagliari we started badly and wasted chances, but it was important to win for our confidence. We can’t play badly if we want to end the season well.”
The Belgian then compared playing under Carlo Ancelotti to predecessor Maurizio Sarri.
“We played more from the back under Sarri, keeping possession without forward passes,” he explained.
“Instead, under Ancelotti we get lots of players in the box. We play a little less football, but we’re more dangerous in front of goal.
“I like both systems. My role has changed under Ancelotti. The position behind the striker is mine and I’m showing it. I have more freedom there.”