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THREE DEFENDERS FOR ANTONIO CONTE 

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&lt;p&gt;Napoli are looking to bounce back with renewed ambitions after finishing tenth last season, and their initial foray into the transfer market underscore this determination. The team conceded 48 goals last season, ranking them tenth defensively, a stark contrast to the season they won the Scudetto under Spalletti, where they conceded 20 fewer goals.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The new coach &lt;strong&gt;Antonio Conte&lt;/strong&gt; placed at the top of his priorities for the new season the strengthening of the defensive unit. In order to satisfy him, the Naples-based club moved swiftly to secure the services of three prominent defenders with diverse profiles. Let`s explore together the characteristics and backgrounds of the new acquisitions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Leonardo Spinazzola&lt;/strong&gt;, born in 1993 and developed in the footballing ranks of Virtus Foligno, began his career with the youth teams of Juventus, where he earned recognition as the MVP of the Viareggio Tournament in 2012. At 19, he embarked on a journey marked by various loans and transfers, representing clubs such as Empoli, Virtus Lanciano, Siena, Atalanta, Vicenza, and Perugia, primarily in Serie B. In the summer of 2016, Spinazzola returned to Bergamo and became a key player in &lt;strong&gt;Gasperini`s &lt;/strong&gt;system at &lt;strong&gt;Atalanta&lt;/strong&gt;, contributing to a historic season that culminated in a fourth-place finish and qualification for the Europa League. His role as a left wing-back in a &lt;strong&gt;5-man midfield&lt;/strong&gt; highlighted his strengths, and during his time with Atalanta, he amassed 57 appearances and 8 assists across all competitions before being sidelined by an anterior cruciate ligament injury. His stint at Juventus was brief and marred by injury, limiting him to just 12 matches. In the 2019/20 season &lt;strong&gt;Roma, &lt;/strong&gt;then under Fonseca,&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;picked up Spinazzola. The Portuguese coach appreciated his tactical versatility, deploying him as a full-back or winger on both the right and left sides as needed.&lt;br&gt; &lt;br&gt; In the summer of 2021, Spinazzola experienced one of the highlights of his career with the &lt;strong&gt;national team.&lt;/strong&gt; During &lt;strong&gt;Euro 2021&lt;/strong&gt;, he was one of the most in-form players under Mancini`s guidance, performing admirably as a left-back until his injury after 79’ of the quarter-final against Belgium.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;figure data-asset-id=&#34;14fe252c-b9b3-4a2c-8ee1-76ffa25f4d84&#34; data-image-id=&#34;14fe252c-b9b3-4a2c-8ee1-76ffa25f4d84&#34;&gt;&lt;img src=&#34;https://assets-eu-01.kc-usercontent.com:443/6be6dbcf-fd70-012d-ec80-2d3245f5ce6a/e26396bd-e8bc-44e6-b90b-78a3352473aa/Sito_HERO_spina.jpg&#34; data-asset-id=&#34;14fe252c-b9b3-4a2c-8ee1-76ffa25f4d84&#34; data-image-id=&#34;14fe252c-b9b3-4a2c-8ee1-76ffa25f4d84&#34; alt=&#34;&#34;&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;&lt;p&gt;At Napoli, Spinazzola brings with him a wealth of experience, having accumulated 164 appearances and scored 5 goals in Serie A throughout his career.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Rafa Marín&lt;/strong&gt; Zamora, born in 2002, is a product of &lt;strong&gt;Real Madrid`s&lt;/strong&gt; youth academy, where he won the UEFA Youth League in 2019-20. He spent two years with Real Madrid &lt;strong&gt;Castilla&lt;/strong&gt;, their B team, clocking-up 67 appearances and scoring 4 goals in the Primera Federación, Spain`s third division. At the age of 21, he was loaned to newly promoted &lt;strong&gt;Alavés &lt;/strong&gt;for his debut season in La Liga. Playing as a central defender in a four-man backline, he made a notable impact with 35 appearances in both league and cup competitions, contributing significantly to the team`s impressive 10th-place finish. Known for his imposing physique, Marín excels in anticipation, aerial duels, and one-on-one situations.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;figure data-asset-id=&#34;1ae7df14-a122-48f9-8b45-b81969be6f80&#34; data-image-id=&#34;1ae7df14-a122-48f9-8b45-b81969be6f80&#34;&gt;&lt;img src=&#34;https://assets-eu-01.kc-usercontent.com:443/6be6dbcf-fd70-012d-ec80-2d3245f5ce6a/b69313e8-434d-4ff4-93f6-f3f695109cd5/Sito_HERO_marin.jpg&#34; data-asset-id=&#34;1ae7df14-a122-48f9-8b45-b81969be6f80&#34; data-image-id=&#34;1ae7df14-a122-48f9-8b45-b81969be6f80&#34; alt=&#34;&#34;&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;&lt;p&gt;The story of &lt;strong&gt;Alessandro Buongiorno,&lt;/strong&gt; born in 1999, is one deeply rooted in his hometown club. Hailing from Turin, he developed in &lt;strong&gt;Torino`s &lt;/strong&gt;youth system, winning the Coppa Italia Primavera in 2017/18. Buongiorno made his Serie A debut on 4 April 2018, coming on in the final minutes against Crotone. The following season, he moved to &lt;strong&gt;Carpi &lt;/strong&gt;in&lt;strong&gt; Serie B&lt;/strong&gt;, where he made 18 appearances. After a stint at &lt;strong&gt;Trapani &lt;/strong&gt;in Serie B, he returned to Torino for the 2020/21 season, initially seeing limited action under coaches Giampaolo and Nicola. However, under Juric`s guidance, he found stability in the Croatian manager`s &lt;strong&gt;back-three &lt;/strong&gt;system, eventually becoming a regular starter in the 2022/23 season and scoring his first goal for Torino. His growth continued with his first call-up to the national team and a standout final season with Torino, scoring 3 times and attracting interest from top clubs.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;figure data-asset-id=&#34;ac01dedf-7165-4ef5-8753-11b48a0f81a0&#34; data-image-id=&#34;ac01dedf-7165-4ef5-8753-11b48a0f81a0&#34;&gt;&lt;img src=&#34;https://assets-eu-01.kc-usercontent.com:443/6be6dbcf-fd70-012d-ec80-2d3245f5ce6a/8525a682-4ced-4308-a37c-61b59f7e342e/Sito_HERO_Buongiorno.jpg&#34; data-asset-id=&#34;ac01dedf-7165-4ef5-8753-11b48a0f81a0&#34; data-image-id=&#34;ac01dedf-7165-4ef5-8753-11b48a0f81a0&#34; alt=&#34;&#34;&gt;&lt;/figure&gt;&lt;p&gt;These three profiles showcase their versatility, fitting into Conte`s style of play.&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;Spinazzola&lt;/strong&gt;, a seasoned veteran ideal for the 5-man midfield; &lt;strong&gt;Buongiorno&lt;/strong&gt;, currently at his peak and adept in the central defender role of a back-three; and &lt;strong&gt;Marín&lt;/strong&gt;, a young talent with promising potential. With these acquisitions, Napoli aims to construct a solid and competitive defence, blending experience with youthful vigour.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(Photo Getty Images)&lt;/p&gt;

Napoli have moved swiftly to strengthen their defensive unit and deliver to the new coach a squad as complete as possible for the summer preparation. Spinazzola, Rafa Marín, and Buongiorno are the new faces in the Neapolitan rearguard.

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Napoli are looking to bounce back with renewed ambitions after finishing tenth last season, and their initial foray into the transfer market underscore this determination. The team conceded 48 goals last season, ranking them tenth defensively, a stark contrast to the season they won the Scudetto under Spalletti, where they conceded 20 fewer goals.The new coach Antonio Conte placed at the top of his priorities for the new season the strengthening of the defensive unit. In order to satisfy him, the Naples-based club moved swiftly to secure the services of three prominent defenders with diverse profiles. Let`s explore together the characteristics and backgrounds of the new acquisitions.Leonardo Spinazzola, born in 1993 and developed in the footballing ranks of Virtus Foligno, began his career with the youth teams of Juventus, where he earned recognition as the MVP of the Viareggio Tournament in 2012. At 19, he embarked on a journey marked by various loans and transfers, representing clubs such as Empoli, Virtus Lanciano, Siena, Atalanta, Vicenza, and Perugia, primarily in Serie B. In the summer of 2016, Spinazzola returned to Bergamo and became a key player in Gasperini`s system at Atalanta, contributing to a historic season that culminated in a fourth-place finish and qualification for the Europa League. His role as a left wing-back in a 5-man midfield highlighted his strengths, and during his time with Atalanta, he amassed 57 appearances and 8 assists across all competitions before being sidelined by an anterior cruciate ligament injury. His stint at Juventus was brief and marred by injury, limiting him to just 12 matches. In the 2019/20 season Roma, then under Fonseca, picked up Spinazzola. The Portuguese coach appreciated his tactical versatility, deploying him as a full-back or winger on both the right and left sides as needed. In the summer of 2021, Spinazzola experienced one of the highlights of his career with the national team. During Euro 2021, he was one of the most in-form players under Mancini`s guidance, performing admirably as a left-back until his injury after 79’ of the quarter-final against Belgium.<figure data-asset-id="14fe252c-b9b3-4a2c-8ee1-76ffa25f4d84" data-image-id="14fe252c-b9b3-4a2c-8ee1-76ffa25f4d84"><img src="https://assets-eu-01.kc-usercontent.com:443/6be6dbcf-fd70-012d-ec80-2d3245f5ce6a/e26396bd-e8bc-44e6-b90b-78a3352473aa/Sito_HERO_spina.jpg" data-asset-id="14fe252c-b9b3-4a2c-8ee1-76ffa25f4d84" data-image-id="14fe252c-b9b3-4a2c-8ee1-76ffa25f4d84" alt=""></figure>At Napoli, Spinazzola brings with him a wealth of experience, having accumulated 164 appearances and scored 5 goals in Serie A throughout his career.Rafa Marín Zamora, born in 2002, is a product of Real Madrid`s youth academy, where he won the UEFA Youth League in 2019-20. He spent two years with Real Madrid Castilla, their B team, clocking-up 67 appearances and scoring 4 goals in the Primera Federación, Spain`s third division. At the age of 21, he was loaned to newly promoted Alavés for his debut season in La Liga. Playing as a central defender in a four-man backline, he made a notable impact with 35 appearances in both league and cup competitions, contributing significantly to the team`s impressive 10th-place finish. Known for his imposing physique, Marín excels in anticipation, aerial duels, and one-on-one situations.<figure data-asset-id="1ae7df14-a122-48f9-8b45-b81969be6f80" data-image-id="1ae7df14-a122-48f9-8b45-b81969be6f80"><img src="https://assets-eu-01.kc-usercontent.com:443/6be6dbcf-fd70-012d-ec80-2d3245f5ce6a/b69313e8-434d-4ff4-93f6-f3f695109cd5/Sito_HERO_marin.jpg" data-asset-id="1ae7df14-a122-48f9-8b45-b81969be6f80" data-image-id="1ae7df14-a122-48f9-8b45-b81969be6f80" alt=""></figure>The story of Alessandro Buongiorno, born in 1999, is one deeply rooted in his hometown club. Hailing from Turin, he developed in Torino`s youth system, winning the Coppa Italia Primavera in 2017/18. Buongiorno made his Serie A debut on 4 April 2018, coming on in the final minutes against Crotone. The following season, he moved to Carpi in Serie B, where he made 18 appearances. After a stint at Trapani in Serie B, he returned to Torino for the 2020/21 season, initially seeing limited action under coaches Giampaolo and Nicola. However, under Juric`s guidance, he found stability in the Croatian manager`s back-three system, eventually becoming a regular starter in the 2022/23 season and scoring his first goal for Torino. His growth continued with his first call-up to the national team and a standout final season with Torino, scoring 3 times and attracting interest from top clubs.<figure data-asset-id="ac01dedf-7165-4ef5-8753-11b48a0f81a0" data-image-id="ac01dedf-7165-4ef5-8753-11b48a0f81a0"><img src="https://assets-eu-01.kc-usercontent.com:443/6be6dbcf-fd70-012d-ec80-2d3245f5ce6a/8525a682-4ced-4308-a37c-61b59f7e342e/Sito_HERO_Buongiorno.jpg" data-asset-id="ac01dedf-7165-4ef5-8753-11b48a0f81a0" data-image-id="ac01dedf-7165-4ef5-8753-11b48a0f81a0" alt=""></figure>These three profiles showcase their versatility, fitting into Conte`s style of play.&nbsp;Spinazzola, a seasoned veteran ideal for the 5-man midfield; Buongiorno, currently at his peak and adept in the central defender role of a back-three; and Marín, a young talent with promising potential. With these acquisitions, Napoli aims to construct a solid and competitive defence, blending experience with youthful vigour.(Photo Getty Images)

THREE DEFENDERS FOR ANTONIO CONTE  | News

THREE DEFENDERS FOR ANTONIO CONTE

Napoli have moved swiftly to strengthen their defensive unit and deliver to the new coach a squad as complete as possible for the summer preparation. Spinazzola, Rafa Marín, and Buongiorno are the new faces in the Neapolitan rearguard.

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THREE DEFENDERS FOR ANTONIO CONTE | News