André-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Napoli's Cameroonian midfielder, enters the summer transfer window as one of the most consequential decisions the club must resolve before a new era begins. With Massimiliano Allegri closing in on the Napoli head coaching position — still awaiting formal confirmation as his exit from Milan remains unresolved — the 30-year-old's future is among the first items on the incoming regime's agenda.
The timing matters because Anguissa is not a peripheral figure. Across 18 Serie A appearances this season, he contributed four goals and one assist, carrying an average match rating of 6.90 — numbers that reflect a player who has been functional and occasionally decisive rather than dominant. Napoli sit second in the table on 73 points from 37 matches, and that finish, creditable as it is, was built in part on the engine Anguissa provides in the centre of the pitch. Replacing that reliability is not straightforward.
Yet the transfer market is circling. The same news cycle that tracks Allegri's arrival also flags Anguissa's contract situation as unresolved, placing him alongside Romelu Lukaku and goalkeeper Alex Meret as players whose futures require clarity. The club's attention is simultaneously pulled toward younger midfield talent — 23-year-old Antonio Vergara has attracted interest from Tottenham Hotspur, Roma, and Como at a reported fee in the region of €30 million — which suggests Napoli are actively rethinking the shape of their midfield for 2025-26.
Anguissa's AI overall rating of 72 out of 100, with a potential ceiling assessed at 45, tells its own story. At 30, the data reflects a player at or near his peak output rather than one with significant upside remaining. That is not a dismissal — peak-level Serie A midfielders are valuable — but it does frame the negotiation. Any new contract or transfer fee must be calibrated against a realistic projection of what Anguissa can offer over the next two or three seasons, not against the memory of his best form.
What Allegri inherits, if and when he takes the Napoli job formally, is a squad in transition: Kevin De Bruyne recovering from injury and preparing for the World Cup, Vergara's future unresolved, and Anguissa's contract an open question. The Cameroonian has been a consistent presence under Antonio Conte's Napoli, and consistency has its own currency — but incoming coaches rarely feel bound by their predecessor's hierarchies.
The summer will determine whether Anguissa remains the midfield anchor of a rebuilt Napoli or becomes one of several experienced players moved on to fund the next cycle. Either outcome is defensible. The club's decision will say as much about Allegri's tactical preferences as it does about Anguissa's standing.