Back at the forefront at Euro 2024 and tracked by Paris Saint-Germain during the winter transfer window, Kvicha Kvaratskhelia still cannot manage with Naples to regain the performance that he had offered during the title season in 2023.
Good or bad deal? This is the question that Paris Saint-Germain supporters are undoubtedly asking about Kvicha Kvaratskhelia. As reported by RMC Sport, the capital club is closely monitoring the situation of the 23-year-old Georgian winger, who has still not agreed to a contract extension with SSC Napoli. In the Italian press, it is said that a departure for 80 million euros could be considered this winter, even though the player was declared untransferable only a few months ago.
Best player in Serie A when Napoli captured the Scudetto in 2023, Kvicha Kvaratskhelia took the spotlight again last summer by contributing greatly to getting Georgia out of the Euro 2024 groups. In the process, Antonio Conte, newly appointed coach of Napoli, had made it clear that letting him go was out of the question. No doubt he expected a very high level of performance.
He hasn’t scored since October 29
Except that the record after the first half of the season is meager: 5 goals and 3 assists in all competitions, despite the club’s first place in the standings. This is unsurprisingly worse than during the title season at the same period (8 goals, 10 assists).
But it is also a regression compared to last year (5 goals, 4 assists), when the team was in dire straits and had experienced a change of coach (Rudi Garcia fired in favor of Walter Mazzarri) .
More worrying: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has not scored since October 29 (2-0 against AC Milan). Which appears to be a bad signal for PSG, faced with problems with the effectiveness of its attackers.
-The Georgian’s series also recalls his total breakdown in 2023. He had spent more than six months without scoring, from March 19 to September 27, both for club and national team.
Kvara no longer as essential for Conte?
His current drop in performance has not yet had any consequences on his starting status at the left winger position. No doubt because he remains the best in the championship in terms of the number of forward runs with the ball and he continues to provoke a lot (7.73 dribbles per match, 7th best total in Serie A).
However, Antonio Conte does not seem to place him in the category of absolutely essential players, those whom coaches hesitate to replace during the match. So much so that “Kvara” has only been able to complete the 90 minutes four times this season in the league. The annoyance he displayed during his outing against AS Roma in November did not go unnoticed.
David Neres does noticeably better
But if Khvicha Kvaratskhelia remains in Naples with this dynamic, the hierarchy may perhaps be shaken up in the coming months. David Neres, recruited last summer from Benfica, has recently been able to prove decisive each time he compensated for an injury (or return from injury) of the Georgian. This is how he opened the scoring on the Fiorentina pitch for the first match of the year (3-0). And his balance sheet over the first half is better although distributed differently: 3 goals, 7 assists.
“Today, the collective euphoria of the Azzurri is no longer focused on Khvicha. (…) The influx of Georgian supporters at Maradona stopped months ago,” observes the Neapolitan newspaper Il Mattino in a editorial. The media also consulted its readers regarding the future of the person concerned. 76% of respondents said they were in favor of leaving this winter or next summer.
