Spanish midfielder Fabian Ruiz has left Serie A and Napoli after four seasons with the southern Italian club, and he has signed with Paris Saint-Germain, but the Partenopei might be better off without the playmaker.
Fabian was contracted to the Neapolitans until June 2023 and Ciucciarelli president Aurelio De Laurentiis did not want to risk losing the Spain international on a free transfer.
Paris Saint-Germain announced on Tuesday evening that the 26-year-old had signed a five-year contract that will expire on June 30, 2027, and Spaniard was ecstatic to sign for Les Parisiens.
“I am delighted to join Paris Saint-Germain,” Fabian said.
“It is great for me to start this new stage of my career in this country. And I am proud to be joining one of the best clubs in Europe with the best players in the world. It’s a really exciting challenge.
“Since the start of the negotiations, well, I was thinking of playing my first game at the Parc des Princes. I had the chance to play here a year ago, but now I want to play there in a Parisian shirt.”
Spalletti will have a more balanced midfield without Fabian
Fabian Ruiz had a memorable four seasons at Napoli, which included winning the 2020 Coppa Italia Final against Juventus on penalties, and he often impressed with his long-range shooting and exquisite through-balls.
For someone who operated deep in the midfield, he perhaps lacked a bit of aggression or could have improved on his ball-winning abilities. Partenopei coach Luciano Spalletti has implemented his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation since joining the club in 2021, and so far this season, he has greater protection in the middle of the park.
With Victor Osimhen up front, and Hirving Lozano, Piotr Zielinski, and Kvicha Kvaratskhelia providing the creativity, they need sufficient protection in midfield, which Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Stanislav Lobotka have been able to provide.
In addition to their ball-winning abilities, Zambo Anguissa can bring the ball forward with his direct dribbling and Lobotka has also improved on his passing under Spalletti.
Fabian was an aesthetically pleasing player at Napoli and he will fit right in with Paris Saint-Germain’s galaxy of stars, but Zambo Anguissa and Lobotka provide more of the grit that Partenopei need.
