Alex Meret, Napoli's 29-year-old goalkeeper, is approaching a pivotal summer with his position at the club still unresolved, even as the broader shape of the squad begins to clarify around him. Massimiliano Allegri's appointment as Napoli head coach is expected to be confirmed imminently, and with that confirmation will come the first real signal of where Meret stands in the incoming manager's plans.
The timing matters. Napoli finished the 2025-26 Serie A season second in the table on 73 points, a campaign built on defensive solidity across 37 matches — 36 goals conceded in a W22 D7 L8 record. That defensive record is a collective achievement, but a goalkeeper's contribution to it is never incidental. Meret featured in 10 league matches this season, registering one assist and carrying an average rating of 6.70. The numbers are modest in volume, not in context: a goalkeeper who plays ten times for a side that concedes 36 across the season is operating within a competitive hierarchy, not as a clear first choice.
That hierarchy is precisely what Allegri will need to address. The incoming coach inherits a squad in transition — Anguissa's future is under discussion, Vergara is attracting significant interest from clubs including Tottenham, Roma, and Como — and the goalkeeping situation sits within a wider set of decisions about who stays, who goes, and who earns a new contract. Meret's AI overall rating of 67 out of 100 suggests a player still capable of meaningful development at 29, not one whose ceiling has been reached. Whether Allegri reads that potential as an asset worth building around, or as a profile better suited to a backup role, will define Meret's next chapter.
What the data does not show is any indication that Meret has played his way out of contention. Ten appearances, a clean defensive record at club level, and a potential score of 75 — these are not the numbers of a player being managed toward the exit. They are the numbers of a player waiting for a new coach to make a call.
Allegri's confirmation this week will not immediately answer the question, but it will start the clock. Meret's future at Napoli will be settled by what the new coach decides he needs between the posts — and that decision is now very close.