Arsenal are closing in on the appointment of Napoli chief Maurizio Micheli, and the head of scouting for the Italian club has a track record for discovering some fantastic talents from around the world.
GIVEMESPORT senior correspondent Fabrizio Romano recently confirmed that Micheli has agreed to join Arsenal as part of their recruitment team under Andrea Berta. Romano suggests that a move to Arsenal is now imminent, while also praising the job he's done at Napoli in recent years.
Micheli was appointed as head of scouting at Napoli in 2018, rejoining the club after a spell at the Serie A outfit earlier in his career. Micheli has been with Napoli for over seven years now, but he looks set to make the move to the Premier League.
As mentioned, Micheli has a track record of discovering talents, and we've taken a look at some of the standouts that the new Arsenal man had a helping hand in.
Kalidou Koulibaly
Kalidou Koulibaly poses in an Al Hilal shirt
Back in 2014, Napoli brought Kalidou Koulibaly to the club, a fairly unknown defender from Belgian side Genk. The Senegalese centre-back has gone on to have an illustrious career since then, and he ended up playing 236 games for Napoli before moving on to Chelsea after around eight years with the Italian club.
Koulibaly was undoubtedly a huge success for Napoli, with president Aurelio de Laurentiis suggesting a few years ago that he was the best defender in the world. Laurentiis also confirmed that Napoli had rejected three offers in the region of €90m for the defender.
Speaking on Koulibaly's move to Napoli, his former agent, Bruno Satin, confirmed the deal was thanks to Micheli.
“The first person to spot the defender was Maurizio Micheli: he was the first to point him out to Napoli."
Koulibaly was signed by Napoli for a small fee, and they took a risk on an unknown product thanks to the scouting of Micheli.
Marek Hamsik
Marek Hamsik
It wasn't just with Napoli that Micheli had a major impact. Marek Hamsik went on to become a huge player for Napoli over the years, but it was Micheli who helped put him on the map before his move to the Italian club.
Micheli first discovered Hamsik when he was involved with another Italian club, Brescia, bringing him to the club from Slovan Bratislava. The Slovakian midfielder had only played a handful of games for Slovan Bratislava before Micheli scouted him for Brescia, and the now-38-year-old went on to play over 400 games for Napoli.
Speaking on Micheli back in 2022, Hamsik suggested that he owed him 'so much' for bringing him to Brescia, putting him on the map in Europe.
“I’m in touch with Maurizio Micheli, the head of scouting who brought me to Brescia in Italy and to whom I owe so much."
Kim Min-jae
Kim Min-Jae
It's claimed that another player Micheli had a hand in discovering was Kim Min-jae for Napoli. Although now an established defender in Europe, Kim wasn't as well known before making the move to Italy. The South Korean international had spent just one season at Fenerbahce before Micheli spotted him in Turkey, having plied his trade in his home country before that.
Napoli signed Kim for a fee of just £16m back in 2022, with Micheli playing a role in bringing him to the club, and he was signed by Bayern Munich just a year later, with Napoli more than doubling their money for the centre-back, as the Bundesliga club reportedly paid £43m to activate his release clause.
Micheli's scouting not only brings the benefits on the pitch, spotting players to help the team, but it can also be crucial from a financial perspective. Scouting talents who are yet to burst onto the scene in Europe allows clubs to secure their signatures for reasonable fees, and their value dramatically increases if they develop as Micheli expects.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia PSG
One player Micheli scouted during his time at Napoli was Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The tricky winger wasn't always the superstar he is today, with the Georgian international plying his trade for Dinamo Batumi in his home country.
Micheli has been credited with discovering Kvaratskhelia, and it was an impressive find from the Napoli chief, considering he was playing in a relatively unknown league at the time. The Georgian international has gone on to become one of the best wingers in world football, with Napoli signing him for a bargain price at the time.
Kvaratskhelia is undoubtedly the most impressive piece of scouting Micheli has been credited with, and if he can find an unearthed superstar like that for Arsenal, they will benefit immensely financially and on the pitch.