It's a strange story, his. It is the story of someone who, in some way, has given so much but now lives the bitterness of an imminent farewell. Dries Mertens seems to no longer belong to the Naples project, at least that's what we could guess with the new course started by Rino Gattuso. You may be wrong, of course, but the feeling is this. On the other hand, the new coach needs to look at the present without losing sight of the future. That of Naples and also his, because the confirmation (fourth place) is linked to his results.

EXPIRY - The Belgian striker is in junction status, his contract expires next June and as early as January he could agree, possibly, with another club. At the moment there seems to be no chance that the player will be offered a renewal higher than the current figures: he earns 4 million euros per season and would like at least 4.5, a request that Aurelio De Laurentiis did not even want to take into consideration. Beyond the economic aspect, Mertens is out of the future project. The president did not like that he and someone else turned against him in the post-race meeting with Salzburg on 5 November, when the team rebelled against his decision to retire. That attitude did not please the club and, therefore, the president has already made the decision: he will not renew the contract.

DISAPPOINTED - He is, Mertens, because he is very close to this city, he would like to close his career here, but he has understood that it will not be possible. On the other hand, he would still have a personal goal to reach, namely, to overtake Marek Hamsik at the top of the club's all-time scorer list. The former captain has stopped at 123 and the Belgian striker still lacks 5 goals to match him. Much will now depend on Gattuso's intentions if he plays with the offensive trident. In the first race, against Parma, Mertens was left on the bench but then added to the second half. And its entry guaranteed Naples greater liveliness in the last 20 meters and also a bit more quality for the action. It was his cross from which the goal of Milik's temporary tie was born. Mertens remains, however, a resource for this Naples expected from the hard task of having to go up the rankings to avoid being left out of the European circuit. Already, Europe, is that night in Liverpool where a network of Mertens has allowed Napoli to conquer the point of tranquility that would have been enough to enter the first knockout round, regardless of the result of Salzburg-Liverpool.