Lorenzo Lucca’s wait for a Napoli goal goes on, but his contribution has not been reduced to the empty space on the scoresheet. In Florence, during 32 minutes from the bench, the forward gave Massimiliano Allegri the kind of response his coach had requested: pressure on Fiorentina’s ball carriers, physical work high up the pitch and a readiness to disrupt the opposition even at the risk of conceding a foul.
It did not bring the personal breakthrough Lucca has been seeking in competitive matches, yet it earned him public recognition from Allegri. Only days earlier, the coach had criticised the striker’s management of Napoli’s final attacking move against Bologna. The display in Tuscany, however, offered a more encouraging marker in a difficult phase of the season.
A different response from Napoli’s deputy striker
Lucca’s place in the squad has changed since the opening months of the campaign. The 2000-born centre-forward is now operating behind Rasmus Hojlund in the attacking pecking order, with opportunities largely arriving late in matches rather than from the start.
His most recent start among six appearances came on 3 December last year, when Napoli faced Cagliari in the Coppa Italia. He has scored twice for the club, both at the Maradona: against Cagliari and in the 3-2 league win over Pisa on 22 September 2025.
The immediate task is not simply to add another goal. Napoli need Lucca to provide presence in the box, an aerial outlet and a route forward when Hojlund needs relief. Allegri has not placed an unrealistic burden on him, but he expects the player to follow the collective demands of the side whenever he is called upon.
That willingness has been evident. Lucca has accepted the less glamorous work away from goal, even if his decision-making can still be costly, as it was in the closing stages against Bologna. The coach values the consistency of his effort in training and the seriousness with which he has approached a reduced role.
The Forest spell and a useful summer
His time on loan at Nottingham Forest did not produce major returns, either in minutes or goals. Lucca made nine appearances in England, started twice and scored once, finding the net on his debut against Leeds. But the experience exposed him to the pace and physical demands of the Premier League.
Napoli saw signs of that experience during pre-season. Lucca scored three times across the club’s two training camps and finished as their leading scorer in the summer programme, reinforcing the qualities that had persuaded the club to invest in him.
The challenge became harder once official football began and the hierarchy in attack was established. Still, the player’s response has been to make himself useful rather than retreat into frustration. For a striker accustomed to being measured by goals, that is an important test of maturity.
Backing from inside the dressing room
Lucca also retains the confidence of his team-mates. In a Napoli social-media video made around the FC 27 video game, Antonio Vergara named Lucca immediately when asked which colleague supporters should watch. Matteo Politano then joked: “Big Lucca, the swan’s rebirth.”
The exchange was light-hearted, but it reflected the regard Lucca carries within the group. Napoli’s season will require depth as well as first-choice performers, and the former Nottingham Forest loanee remains an option with a distinct profile when matches demand height, strength and direct running.
The goal may yet change the mood around his season, but Napoli are not treating him as a lost cause while it remains absent. In Florence, Lucca showed that he is prepared to work through the lean spell. The next step is to turn that trust, from Allegri and the dressing room alike, into a decisive moment in front of goal.
