Finally, after months of haggling and bartering, Swansea City star Michu has made the move – albeit temporarily for now – to Napoli. The Spanish international arrives at the Partenopei for an initial €1.3 million loan fee, with a €10 million option to buy at the end of the season if they are impressed.
Michu can operate as a striker, but is most deadly playing in the hole making runs from deep to devastating effect. There’s no doubt that his new coach and fellow countryman Rafael Benitez had a big say in bringing the powerful forward to the Serie A, having seen first-hand the damage Michu can do after playing a big part of Swansea’s league cup win over Chelsea when Benitez was interim manager of the Blues in 2013.
“I have told Michu that I expect a certain number of goals from him just to motivate him,” Benitez said in a press conference. The Spanish coach certainly has big plans for Michu, and may place him in ‘the hole’ of his favored 4-2-3-1 formation, preferably behind star striker Gonzalo Higuain, where he can run off and cause havoc in tandem with the Argentinian ace.
With the arrival of Michu, club talisman Marek Hamsik’s place is now under threat. Previously an undisputed starter in ‘the hole’ in his six previous years with the Azzurri, Hamsik endured arguably his worst season at the club under Benitez on a personal level. Injuries played a part you could argue, but in terms of productivity, he was way below par – only scoring a measly six times in all competitions; his worst goals return by some distance in his seven year stay at the club.
The same could be said of Michu, who endured a horrid run with injury last season. Two goals in 17 league appearances last season meant that a player, who commanded a price-tag of upwards of €20 million the season before, drastically fell to the tune of the club allowing him to move out on loan. A stark reminder of how quickly things change in the world of football.
There are also doubts to whether Michu can play with a top quality striker like Higuain who is quite possibly now the main man. This past season Michu failed to mesh with Wilfred Bony, Swansea’s new star.
The Spaniard was much more productive and effective when paired with the inferior Danny Graham at Swansea, with Michu enjoying the role of being the fulcrum of the side and having the freedom to do what he desired.
Graham didn’t mind doing the hard work covering for Michu when the striker drifted into very advanced positions, while Bony on the other hand refused to track back and screen the area Michu was supposed to be in. Higuain you feel would be very much the same.
Conclusively, there really aren’t any big negatives for Napoli in bringing Michu in. The Spaniard comes in as healthy competition for Hamsik, while also filling the role of being an able deputy to Higuain if permitted. If the Partenopei can somehow rekindle some of that 22 goal first season form he showed at the Liberty Stadium then Napoli will be bagging themselves a bargain.
If the deal does not work out as planned, Napoli can send him back to the Welsh club having only paid a nominal fee for his services. Only time will tell, but it looks like Napoli have grabbed themselves a bargain with signature of Michu.
