The Pole is crucial for Garcia’s team, but his future is still in the balance: the 3.5 million contract expires in June
– Naples
Various research supports that on average a footballer reaches the peak of his career at 26 years old. Piotr Zielinski is rediscovering himself as a very pleasant exception to this non-codified principle. Last May he turned 29 and few could have predicted further improvement in various aspects of his game. Rudi Garcia’s move, that is, moving forward and centralizing his usual position on the pitch, proved to be extremely effective. The discussion is not limited to the number of goals, which so far are three between the championship and the Champions League, because two of these came from penalties. The circumstance allows us to open another type of reflection. The job of eleven-meter hitter was initially assigned to Victor Osimhen. However, the Nigerian has systematically refused the job since the case broke out on TikTok: a video making fun of the mistake against Bologna, which appeared on Napoli’s official profiles. The harsh reaction of his agent and the club’s relaxed statement seem to have eased the tension of the past few days, but the attacker didn’t want to hear about finishing from the spot.
the paradox
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The burden passed to Zielinski, who did not fail in the two situations in which he was called upon, against Udinese and Real Madrid. He probably would have had his turn in Lecce too, but he had already left and was replaced by Politano. In any case, the emphasis should not be placed on the infallibility of the penalties but on the fact that this contributes to framing him even more as one of the leaders of the team. It is no coincidence that he is part of that “council of wise men” that helps Garcia manage the dynamics of the locker room, especially in delicate periods like the latter. Yet, considering the importance he holds, Napoli actually risks losing him in less than four months.
future
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The contract will expire in June and once the winter transfer market session has concluded, in fact, if a renewal with the Azzurri has not yet taken place, the Pole will be free to sign with another club for next season. For the moment, after the summer discussions in which the desire to continue together and not to proceed with a transfer to Saudi Arabia emerged, the discussions are proceeding very slowly. As if no one felt the need to reach an agreement quickly, so as to formalize it. However, there isn’t much time left before exposing it to the temptations of the competition. In recent months Lazio had come forward, which would have guaranteed him the same salary of 3.5 million for the next three years, and then Al Ahli tried, promising him 15 per season. In the first case, the lack of agreement between clubs did not allow for further investigation; in the second, however, the player’s will was predominant. In this way, Zielinski has practically opened up the possibility of reducing his salary to 2.5 million per year, until 2026. But the performance he has maintained so far, if it were to be confirmed in the future, cannot be underestimated in the estimate of his value, which could convince De Laurentiis to adjust his offer upwards.
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