Napoli: The three signings currently tearing it up in the Champions League

We’re four games into the Champions League group stage and Napoli are flying at the top of Group A, having amassed12 points, scoring 17 goals and conceding just four. That’s quite a start considering that they have played Liverpool, Rangers and Ajax twice.

Ok, maybe not that tough against Rangers.

It’s not just the fact they’re winning, either. It’s how they’re doing it. Liverpool were probably quite fortunate to get the one during their 4-1 defeat at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. Meanwhile Ajax’s thrashing on their own turf – 6-1 at the Johan Cruyff Arena – was their heaviest defeat since 1964 and the joint-largest home loss in their entire history.

To put it simply, teams are being swatted aside by Napoli at the moment and Luciano Spalletti has the storied Italian club playing attacking football with the kind of bravura worthy of all their very best sides in the past. Perhaps even the man their stadium is named after. This is despite the considerable rebuilding job he was faced with in the summer.

It’s not easy to lose your captain. Or your vice-captain. Or your all-time record goal scorer. It’s unthinkable to lose all three in one window. Yet despite Lorenzo Insigne, Kalidou Koulibaly and Dries Mertens all moving on, Napoli have stormed out of the blocks and currently look more dangerous than any other team in Europe so far this season.

Signed for not much more than €10m from Dinamo Batumi, the powerhouse Georgian winger is already being called the deal of the summer and has taken to Napoli’s suddenly vacant left flank – manned by Insigne for a decade – like mozzarella to tomato.

What people might overlook is the fact the transfer was only made possible at such a price due to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, which meant FIFA allowed players in the Russian Premier League to terminate their contracts early and sign elsewhere.

Kvaratskhelia chose to leave Rubin Kazan and return home to Georgia, where he scored eight times in 11 appearances and was named best player during the latter half of the season. Despite making the difficult leap up to Serie A and the Champions League football as a 21-year-old his form hasn’t shown any signs of slowing after nine goals in 15 appearances for club and country since August.

Between the nickname, the ankle socks and the fearless way he carries the ball into waves of defenders only to come out with it still stuck to his feet on the other side, it’s easy to see what all the fuss is about.