Lukaku is injured, Napoli faces a crisis in their attacking lineup.

19/08/2025 07:40:00 PANDATV

Napoli’s happiness and optimism following an effective transfer period are now clouded by anxiety. The left thigh injury suffered by star striker Romelu Lukaku in the last friendly against Olympiacos threatens to become a "nightmare," highlighting the fragility of their attack and forcing the champions to rethink their personnel plans with the new season imminent.

Lukaku’s painful expression right after his shot and the worried reactions from his teammates said it all. While the official diagnosis will come in a few days, early reports indicate this is a rather serious injury that could keep the Belgian striker out for up to two months. This means he will almost certainly miss the start of both Serie A and the Champions League. It’s a heavy blow for Napoli, especially since this is the first summer in years that Lukaku has enjoyed a full, vigorous pre-season.

Lukaku’s injury has instantly exposed major weaknesses in coach Antonio Conte’s attacking lineup. Without him, Napoli is left with only one genuine center-forward, Lorenzo Lucca. Competing on four fronts (Serie A, Champions League, Coppa Italia, and Italian Super Cup) with just two strikers—one aged 32 and recently injured, the other inexperienced—is a significant gamble.

Lukaku’s injury has thrown Napoli’s plans for the new season into disarray.

The problem has worsened with Napoli recently selling their quality backup options, a move that has left many baffled. Versatile forward Giacomo Raspadori has gone to Atletico Madrid, and Giovanni Simeone has transferred to Torino. With no substitutes to come off the bench and change the game, Napoli is now completely dependent on Lucca if Lukaku is unavailable.

Faced with this urgent situation, Napoli’s management is forced to consider signing another striker. However, this is a tough challenge with less than two weeks left before the transfer window closes. Napoli might try again for Dusan Vlahovic or Rasmus Hojlund, both of whom are also being pursued by Milan.

This incident has further complicated Napoli’s plans, as they are still busy completing deals for full-backs (Miguel Gutierrez from Girona, Juanlu Sanchez from Sevilla) and central midfielders (Chukwuemeka from Chelsea, Cisse from Rennes, or Diouf from Lens).

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