What Will Kevin De Bruyne Bring To Napoli?

Kevin De Bruyne is a name known across the entire footballing world. Regarded as one of the greatest midfielders ever, the Belgium international has created a legacy that very few can match.

From humble beginnings with Genk, struggles at Chelsea, breaking through with Wolfsburg and a legendary career at Manchester City, De Bruyne departs England once again for a new challenge in Italy.

With interest from Saudi Arabia, the MLS and many European sides, De Bruyne agreed to join Serie A champions Napoli on a two year contract with an option to extend for a further year.

So what will the Belgium midfielder bring to Antonio Conte’s side, and what shall we expect during his time in Italy?

What Will De Bruyne Bring To Napoli?

It goes without saying that Kevin De Bruyne knows how to provide for his teammates, having registered 168 assists in ten years at Manchester City.

However, De Bruyne is also a goal threat himself having scored 108 goals in 422 appearances for the Citizens.

Kevin De Bruyne's 11,544 completed passes in the Premier League during his time at Man City ⬇ pic.twitter.com/qXeqYhWnZo

— Premier League (@premierleague) June 13, 2025

The 2024/25 campaign was one of frustration for De Bruyne, who had to deal with injuries and reduced playing time due to Manchester City’s plan to move on from the club legend at the end of the season.

Despite this, De Bruyne registered seven assists and four goals in just 19 starts in the Premier League.

How Does De Bruyne Fit In At Napoli?

Antonio Conte primarily uses a 4-3-3 formation at Napoli, using the likes of Scott McTominay as an extra attacker when in possession.

The use of McTominay’s third man runs and box crashing ability allow Napoli to exploit gaps in opposing defences, as defenders have to account for the midfielder. This leaves Romelu Lukaku with more time and space in the final third.

While one of the midfielders begin to join the front three in attack, two are left to sit deeper to drive with the ball, provide passes into channels and stop counter attacks if possession is lost.

This is where the addition of De Bruyne gives Napoli an even bigger advantage in Conte’s system.

De Bruyne averaged 2.1 key passes per 90 and a pass competition rate of 80.6 percent in all competitions.

Napoli announce the signing of Kevin De Bruyne from Manchester City 🚨🇧🇪✅

Serie A better watch out 👀 pic.twitter.com/y9NTDcvdkC

— LiveScore (@livescore) June 12, 2025

While De Bruyne’s age could be a concern for Napoli, as the 33-year old isn’t as mobile as previous years, sitting in a midfield three should protect the Belgium international.

Stanislav Lobotka will most likely be deployed alongside De Bruyne. The Slovakian defensive midfielder has been a regular in Conte’s side, making 32 appearances in Serie A during the 2024/25 season.

Winning Mentality

With 25 trophies over an illustrious career including 20 with Manchester City. De Bruyne is bringing a proven winning mentality to this Napoli side, who have aspirations of achieving success similar to what De Bruyne experienced in Manchester.

“Napoli and I have the same ambition. This is the right project for me, I want to win.

My family and I are so excited, I can’t wait for it to begin.”

🗣️ De Bruyne pic.twitter.com/LKuptd4dim

— Italian Football TV (@IFTVofficial) June 14, 2025

Having retained the services of Antonio Conte for another season, and now having signed a world-class talent, Napoli are in pole position to retain their Serie A title next season - something that hasn’t been done since 2019/20.