This even as the club moves beyond a period that delivered two Serie A titles in three seasons but now faces another reset following Antonio Conte’s departure.
Speaking to Football Presse, the former Napoli sporting director reflected on the Georgian winger’s impact across a transformative cycle for the club — from Luciano Spalletti’s Scudetto breakthrough to Conte’s title-winning rebuild in 2025 — while also underlining how Kvaratskhelia’s influence extended beyond both tactical systems and managerial changes.
“Kvaratskhelia was, and is, a player of extraordinary quality,” Meluso said.
“But what struck me most was not only the talent, but the mentality. He arrived and immediately raised the level of the team.”
Kvaratskhelia, who has since joined Paris Saint-Germain, became central to Napoli’s resurgence under Spalletti, forming a decisive attacking partnership with Victor Osimhen during the club’s long-awaited Scudetto triumph in 2023. But Meluso insists that what followed — including Conte’s arrival and another title in 2025 — only reinforced the Georgian’s importance in shaping Napoli’s identity during its most successful modern cycle.
“He is a very serious professional,” Meluso told Football Presse.
“People often see the dribbling, the goals, the assists. But I saw something else. He never missed training, he was always focused, always trying to improve. That is why he became such an important player.”
Napoli’s ability to win again under Conte in 2025, despite significant squad evolution, was widely seen as confirmation that the club had entered a sustained competitive peak. Yet Meluso suggests that continuity in modern football is fragile, particularly when key individuals begin to leave.
“When you lose players like Kvaratskhelia or Osimhen, you are not just losing goals,” he said. “You lose structure, you lose identity. These are players who decide matches, yes, but also the way a team trains and competes every day.”
Conte’s departure this summer has since accelerated another transition phase, with Napoli once again reshaping their squad and leadership structure. For Meluso, this cycle is illustrative of the modern game’s volatility even at the very top.
“Football has changed,” he says. “Today, players like him move more easily. When a club like Paris Saint-Germain comes in, it becomes very difficult to resist. Napoli had to enjoy him while he was there.”
He also emphasised that Kvaratskhelia’s rise was not simply a product of system or timing, but of rapid personal development once he arrived in Italy.
“He was not just talent waiting to be discovered,” Meluso said. “He became a champion through work. That is the difference. The talent was already there, but the professionalism made him grow so fast.”
Reflecting on Napoli’s dual-title era under Spalletti and Conte, Meluso highlighted how difficult it is to sustain dominance in a market where elite players rarely remain for long.
“Today there are no more true one-club players,” he said. “No more flags. These boys grow, explode, and then they move. That is modern football.”
Even so, he believes Kvaratskhelia’s contribution will remain central to how this era is remembered.
“In my opinion,” Meluso adds, “he will always be remembered as one of the symbols of that cycle. Not only for what he did on the pitch, but for what he represented every day.”
As Napoli now enter yet another rebuilding phase following Conte’s exit and the end of their title defence cycle, Meluso’s reflections underline a broader truth: the club’s most successful modern chapter cannot be told without Kvaratskhelia at its emotional and technical core — a Scudetto and a defining era.