Towards the end of the winter market, Aston Villa’s Leander Dendoncker completed a loan move to Napoli.
Wednesday’s edition of Het Belang van Limburg explains why the 28-year-old swapped Aston Villa for the Serie A side.
The Belgium international was restricted to a limited role under Unai Emery in the first half of the season.
HBVL state it wasn’t the ‘easiest choice’ to leave Aston Villa, where he wasn’t ‘pushed aside’. In fact, Emery saw him as an excellent back-up player, due to his physicality and versatility.
Dendoncker wants to represent Belgium at the Euros and that played a part in his decision to join the Naples club. He thought carefully when Napoli knocked on his door last month and their project appealed him.
Napoli sporting director Mauro Meluso was able to explain the project to him, after which, he quickly made a decision to leave Aston Villa. He was also contacted by his compatriot and former Napoli star, Dries Mertens.
Dendoncker was one of the four players Napoli signed in the winter market and was the only one to be left out of their Champions League squad.This wasn’t relayed to the player in advance and the report states Napoli’s decision has been a ‘major disappointment’ for him.
The Aston Villa man has made only two substitute appearances so far. Therefore, the newspaper says Napoli’s decision to replace manager Walter Mazzarri with Francesco Calzona is good news for the Belgian.
