Napoli eye Aguerd: left‑foot defender with flip‑flop roots
Moroccan centre‑back Nayef Aguerd, 28, has captured Napoli’s interest as a potential Plan B to Benoît Badiashile, with the club intrigued by his left‑foot prowess, 1.90 m stature and a €35 million West Ham move that helped win the Conference League.
Aguerd began his senior career in France with Dijon and Rennes before joining West Ham United in 2022 for roughly €35 million. He contributed to West Ham’s Conference League triumph, then spent the 2024‑25 season on loan at Real Sociedad, returning to make only two appearances before moving permanently to Olympique de Marseille on 2 September last year.
The 1.90 m left‑footed centre‑back combines physical strength with elegant movement, excelling in aerial duels, tight marking and precise ball distribution. He is comfortable in both three‑man and four‑man defensive lines.
In a 2021 interview Aguerd recalled his childhood love of outdoor play: “I liked playing outside too much. You didn’t need shoes, flip‑flops were enough. My mother didn’t want me to play. In front of my friends she didn’t scold me, at home… one day, before my shower, she hit me with a slipper!”
His football journey started at the Mohammed VI Academy at age 12, where he spent two years in midfield and met future internationals Hamza Mendyl and Youssef En‑Nesyri. He earned a scientific high‑school diploma, was punished for secretly eating chocolate bars with a 5 am wake‑up run, and after a failed Valencia deal and a broken wrist signed his first professional contract with Fath Union Rabat in 2014. A long‑standing friendship with Mehdi Benatia, former Juventus defender under Allegri, provides him with valuable advice.
Napoli view Aguerd as a backup option to Badiashile, a plan reported by Sky Sport’s editorial team. The profile appears on Google Discover under the Fonti preferite section, carries a Stampa A‑ A+ rating and is highlighted by Sku Sport Calciomercato. The article also references Tutto, En and other metadata from the original source.