The Partenopei chief backs the Chilean striker despite an unimpressive debut against Cesena in a Coppa Italia clash recently
Napoli President, Aurelio De Laurentiis, has defended striker, Eduardo Vargas, after his poor performance on his debut.
Vargas arrived from Chilean club, Universidad de Chile, for an approximately 12 million Euros in January.
The 22-year-old was handed his first start in Napoli shirt in a Coppa Italia game against Cesena recently, but it turned out to be a miserable outing for the Chilean international. The striker contributed to the away side’s only goal of the game, as his mistake led to Cesena’s goal. After an unimpressive performance, the striker was taken off at the half-time.
Laurentiis has backed the talented striker, and insists that they cannot judge him on a single performance. He admitted that he should have been given more time before being handed his first-start, as he was unfamiliar to his surroundings.
The Partenopei chief has urged the media and club fans not to put the striker under pressure, as he needs time to develop at the club. He believes that the striker needs time to adjust to the surroundings, and he has to start with learning the language.
Laurentiis insisted that the South American star is one of the best emerging talents in the world, and he is a gift for the Azzurri fans.
“The decision [to sign him] was based on what he did in his homeland. He is a player of great talent, but he does not yet know the team’s game or even the names of his teammates. We’re making sure he adapts to the club so as not to cause him any psychological issues. We need to be patient because he does not speak our language. We are always thinking in the market in the mid-to-long-term.”
“Today I told him to study Italian all the time. He is the revelation of South American football this year, so let us consider him a nice gift for the fans.”
Azzurri manager, Walter Mazzarri, recently admitted to his mistake for playing the striker too early.
Napoli already have Edinson Cavani, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Goran Pandev available in their strike department.
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