Napoli forward Alisson de Almeida Santos enters the final stretch of the 2025-26 Serie A season as a peripheral figure in a club that is anything but quiet. With Antonio Conte's Napoli sitting second in the table on 70 points after 35 matches, the 23-year-old Brazilian has contributed three goals across 11 appearances this season, averaging a match rating of 7.30 — numbers that speak to reliability in limited minutes rather than the volume production Conte typically demands from his attacking options.
The significance of Santos's position is sharpened by what is happening around him. Reports circulating in Italy suggest Conte himself may not be at the club next season, with Maurizio Sarri named as a leading candidate to take over. Separately, Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is understood to be planning a significant restructuring of the squad, with an eye on reducing a wage bill inflated by players over 30. Departures for Juan Jesus, Leonardo Spinazzola, and Romelu Lukaku are anticipated, while the futures of Kevin De Bruyne and Alex Meret remain uncertain. For a 23-year-old with an AI potential rating of 78 out of 100, a leaner, younger squad could represent an opening — or, depending on the incoming coach's preferences, a moment of vulnerability.
Santos's season-long profile sits at an overall AI rating of 72, suggesting a player still developing rather than one who has arrived. Three goals from 11 appearances is a reasonable return for a squad player, and the 7.30 average rating indicates he has not been a weak link when called upon. What the numbers do not capture is whether Conte has seen enough to advocate for Santos in whatever conversations are happening about next season's roster — and Conte's own future makes that question unanswerable for now.
The most recent competitive context available is Napoli's visit to Como, a match in which Santos did not feature prominently in the available reporting. Conte, speaking ahead of that fixture, praised Como coach Cesc Fabregas as someone "destined for greatness" — a generous assessment that also underlined how seriously Napoli took a side sitting fifth. The Partenopei's second-place standing, three points behind the leaders with three rounds remaining, means the title race is not yet closed, and every squad member's contribution carries weight.
For Santos, the arithmetic of this summer is straightforward: a coaching change would reset his standing entirely, while a squad overhaul could either elevate him or expose him to the transfer market. His age and potential rating suggest the club holds genuine upside on him. Whether the next regime shares that view is the question that will define his trajectory far more than anything that happens in the remaining fixtures.