Napoli Start Talks to Keep McTominay, Deal Worth 7 Million Euros
Napoli has started talks about a new contract for Scott McTominay. A contract is an official agreement between a player and his club. The Italian club reportedly needs 7 million euros to complete the renewal. Renewal means agreeing to continue something, like a job or a deal.
The news comes at an important time for Napoli. McTominay is currently unavailable, so the club must decide who will play in midfield. Midfield is the part of the pitch between defense and attack. Napoli needs to make some difficult choices without their Scottish player.
McTominay has decided to have an operation on his heart. This is a medical procedure to fix a health problem. He is traveling to Liverpool, a city in England, for the surgery. His health comes before football right now.
Because of this, Napoli's coaching staff must think carefully about the team's lineup. A lineup is the list of players who start a match. Without McTominay, other midfielders will need to step up and take his place on the field.
It is not yet clear when McTominay will return to training or when the contract talks will finish. Napoli fans are hopeful that both the operation and the negotiation will have positive results. A negotiation is a discussion where two sides try to reach an agreement.
For now, the priority is McTominay's health. Football decisions about his future contract will likely continue once his recovery begins.
Vocabulary10 words
- contract
- an official agreement between two sides
- renewal
- agreeing to continue something for longer
- midfield
- the middle part of a football pitch
- operation
- a medical action to fix a health problem
- lineup
- the list of players who start a match
- negotiation
- a talk to try to reach an agreement
- recovery
- getting better after being sick or hurt
- coaching staff
- the people who train and manage a team
- priority
- the most important thing right now
- unavailable
- not able to play or be used
Quiz
Answer key
1. A contract renewal 2. 7 million euros 3. To have heart surgery
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Napoli has started talks about a new _____ for Scott McTominay. The Italian club reportedly needs 7 million _____ to complete the renewal.
The news comes at an important time for Napoli. McTominay is currently _____, so the club must decide who will play in _____.
McTominay has decided to have an _____ on his heart. He is traveling to _____ for the surgery.
Because of this, Napoli's coaching staff must think carefully about the team's _____.
Napoli fans are hopeful that both the operation and the _____ will have positive results.
For now, the priority is McTominay's _____.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think clubs need to negotiate contract renewals with players?
- How might a team need to adapt when an important player is unavailable?
- Do you think health should always come before sports decisions? Why or why not?
- What qualities make a good midfielder in football?