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On Sunday, we heard rumors, but now it sounds as if a deal is ready to be announced. Chelsea academy product Nathaniel Chalobah has reportedly passed his Napoli medical, and will spend the entire 2015/16 season in Italy.
And, remarkably, Nathaniel Chalobah has completed his medical at Napoli and will join on loan for a year. #cfc
— Marcus Christenson (@m_christenson) August 31, 2015
For Chalobah, this is certainly a more challenging move than a return to Reading would have been. Serie A doesn't have anywhere near the sort of quality that it did ten years ago, but it's still a better league than most throughout Europe, and he'll be joining a side who will expect to be right in the thick of the Champions League chase. Napoli will also be expected to do well in the Europa League this season, leaving the English youngster plenty of opportunities to earn minutes for himself, even if he takes a bit of time to settle.
With any luck, this loan spell will be a successful one, helping Chalobah reach the heights which we envisioned during his academy days. Have fun in Italy, Nathaniel, and good luck helping to clean up Rafa's mess.