Hysaj vs Di Lorenzo? Agent leaves two clients fighting for the same spot at Napoli

Elseid Hysaj’s agent has confirmed he tried to secure a move away from Napoli for the full-back up until the transfer deadline.

The 25-year-old had been heavily linked with a transfer in the summer, with the likes of Valencia and Atletico Madrid among those attributed with interest.

How close was Hysaj to leaving Napoli? Five things to know…

• Hysaj was being linked with a move away from Napoli in the summer.
• According to reports, Valencia and Atletico Madrid were interested in the 25-year-old.
• But the Albanian remained at Napoli past the end of the Italian transfer window.
• Hysaj’s agent has revealed he did all he could to secure a move from Naples.
• The full-back is now playing second fiddle to Giovani Di Lorenzo.

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No deal was made by the time Italy’s transfer window closed on Monday, leaving Hysaj with Napoli at least until January.

Hysaj has been named in Napoli’s squad for the upcoming Champions League campaign but will be fighting with Giovanni Di Lorenzo for the right-back spot.

But Hysaj’s agent, Mario Giuffredi, has admitted he did not intend to leave the full-back at Napoli beyond the transfer deadline.

“My objective was to take him away and I tried to the last second of the market to secure a transfer away from Napoli,” Giuffredi told reporters.

“Unfortunately, for various reasons, the right conditions never materialised. Some opportunities arose, but they didn’t reach a conclusion.

“Leaving him at Napoli was certainly not my intention, as I brought in Giovanni Di Lorenzo also to favour Hysaj’s sale, as I would never have left two of my players in the same team for the same position.

“Now we start from scratch. He has a contract until June 2021, he will respect it and be at the disposal of the coach.”

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Hysaj vs Di Lorenzo

After signing from Empoli in the summer, Di Lorenzo has played his way to becoming Carlo Ancelotti’s first-choice right-back, ahead of Hysaj.

The Italian has started in both of Napoli’s Serie A games so far, relegating Hysaj to just one substitute appearance – six minutes in the opening win over Fiorentina.

But now that Hysaj’s future is confirmed to be with Napoli for the foreseeable future, Ancelotti could be persuaded to give the Albanian more of a chance.

Hysaj v Di Lorenzo: 2018/19 Serie A stats compared

Based on Serie A performances last season, Hysaj created 0.64 chances per 90 minutes on average, recording two assists (0.09 per 90). Despite creating more frequently, averaging 1.05 chances per 90 minutes, Di Lorenzo managed just one more assist – at an average of 0.08 per 90.

Hysaj was also slightly better defensively than Di Lorenzo, winning 1.19 tackles per 90 to 1.16 and making 1.02 interceptions to 0.97, though the Albanian was beaten more often by dribbling opponents at 1.02 to 0.54.