"?Pepe Reina has revealed that Napoli are over the loss of Gonzalo Higuain to Serie A rivals Juventus - and claims the club are stronger without their former star striker.
"?The Napoli goalkeeper told Gazzetta dello Sport that the Naples-based outfit had moved on from the saga that engulfed the club during the summer transfer window. Higuain had been the subject of much speculation throughout the summer months before he eventually joined Juventus in a deal worth over £75m.
The sale of the Argentina international allowed Napoli to reinvest in their first-team squad, with the likes of Poland forward Arkadiusz Milik joining the Stadio San Paolo-based side.
And ex-Liverpool shot stopper Reina is of the opinion that his current employers have benefitted from allowing Higuain to leave after seeing manager Maurizio Sarri bolster his options across the park. Milik has however been ruled out for several months with an injury picked up on international duty.
The 34-year-old said: "The departure of Higuain? His sale has allowed us to take different players who have improved a team was already very good last year.
"Although we have improved, it is clear that what happened with [Arkadiusz] Milik changes things.
"The loss of Pipita was an inevitable sacrifice. If someone comes and pays the clause, the club can do very little. Higuain made requests that were rejected and that was how it went.
"Now we must turn the page and look ahead with confidence in people that were already here and those who arrived, with or without Milik."
Pepe Reina: "Higuain? His sale has allowed us to take different players who have improved a team was already very good last year." pic.twitter.com/PVGwUhYXS4
The former Spain international also stoked the fires of Higuain's acrimonious departure by comparing the 29-year-old with how Alvaro Morata left Juventus.
The Spanish striker returned to Real Madrid in a £25m move two years after leaving his former side, and Reina used Morata as an example of how to leave one club for another in a more professional manner as a way of hitting out at Higuain.
He added: "Morata's move? It was respectable. Higuain evidently does not think like Morata."
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