Benoit Badiashile joined Napoli on loan from Chelsea in the summer. The Blues now appear happy with how things are going for him in Naples.
The centre-back was roped in on an initial loan deal with an option to buy worth €20m. The move came about after the Frenchman had struggled in the previous campaign at Stamford Bridge and was in desperate need of playing time.
His initial few weeks in Naples were difficult, as he was struggling with sharpness. Max Allegri hadn’t showed an inclination towards using him but things are slowly changing.
Chelsea have now expressed their satisfaction with how things are growing.
Blues have made a call
Journalist Sandro Sabatini spoke to Radio Marte about Napoli’s season so far and he focused on their backline.
The Partenopei played out a 3-3 draw against AS Roma at the weekend but conceded those goals in the Chelsea loanee’s absence.
The journalist pointed it out, saying: “Napoli without Badiashile conceded three goals in twenty minutes, and we’re talking about what Thuram missed against Inter. If Allegri could go back in time, he would have put Marianucci in and not Beukema.”
He also focused specifically on Badiashile, revealing details of Chelsea’s call with Napoli recently. He also noted the player’s injury problems, as he was taken off in the second half at the weekend.
“As for Badiashile, you just had to consult Transfermarkt and look at how many appearances he’s made in recent years. He always gets hurt.”
“Last week, Chelsea called Napoli to congratulate them on their management of Badiashile. He’s a strong player; I didn’t expect that. Just as I didn’t expect Rafa Marin to reach such high levels of performance.”
Our take: Spell too early to call
So far this season, Badiashile has made five appearances in all competitions and four have come in Serie A. He was impressive in the win over Frosinone, which was key to helping Napoli turn things around.
The weekend showed a familiar pattern to his career. He picked up an injury that can keep him out for some weeks and derail his progress once again. That isn’t something Napoli would like, especially as he came in as a replacement for the injured Alessandro Buongiorno anyway.
So clearly, it is too early to call how this spell could go. Chelsea would be happy at how things took a positive turn but as they know with the 25-year-old, it can go either way.
