The Reawakening of Hirving Lozano at Napoli

When Mexican international Hirving Lozano arrived at Napoli in August 2019, his transfer from Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven was seen as a landmark moment. The transfer fee of €38 million plus bonuses was the most the Partenopei had paid for a player at the time, it was the highest figure the Rood-witten received for a player, and he became the most expensive Mexican footballer in history.

Adapting to Italian football was tough for “Chucky”, who struggled to earn playing time under manager Carlo Ancelotti, who was sacked on December 10, and his successor Gennaro Gattuso was initially not eager to include the winger in his starting line-up either. Although his form improved towards the end of the 2019/20 campaign, it pales in comparison to the start that he has had to the 2020/21 Serie A season. 

Lozano has scored four goals in five league games, grabbing a brace in the 6-0 demolition of Genoa in Week 2 and scoring twice in the 4-1 victory against Atalanta in Week 4. He has been used on both wings but he has demonstrated that he is at his best on the left side of attack.

This burst of form seemed unlikely in the early days at Napoli for “Chucky”. He had come off the bench on his Serie A debut, scoring a goal in the Partenopei’s 4-3 defeat to Juventus in the Week 2 of the 2019/20 season, but it was not enough for Ancelotti to trust him in the starting line-up.