Many would consider Rafael Benitez’s first season with Napoli a moderate success by winning the Italian Cup and achieving a third place finish to warrant an entry to a Champions League qualifier.

The only real disappointment came from failing to advance from the Champions League group stages, finishing with an impressive 12 points that saw them end up in third place behind Dortmund and Arsenal.

Last summer, president Aurelio De Laurentiis invested heavily by bringing in the likes of Gonzalo Higuain, Jose Callejon and Dries Mertens. Players already at the club had to adapt quickly to Benitez’s favoured 4-2-3-1 from Walter Mazzarri’s 3-4-3/3-4-1-2 used in his four seasons with the Partenopei.

The side boasted one of the fiercest attacks in Serie A, but defensive issues were apparent early on, even after the additions of Raul Albiol, Pablo Armero and Faouzi Ghoulam. Defensive errors proved to be a re-occurring theme throughout the entire season.

At the beginning of the summer transfer window, Napoli’s transfer musts included centre-backs and centre-midfielders while also looking to add a quality full-back for depth purposes. The club knew this, or at least the fans thought so. Many figured De Laurentiis would open up his checkbook and sign players to help Napoli bridge the gap with three-time reigning champions Juventus and more importantly, make the next step in becoming one of Europe’s elite clubs.

During the past two transfer windows, Napoli continuously tried to sign one of: Javier Mascherano, Daniel Agger, Martin Skrtel, and Maxime Gonalons. The result? The club failed to sign any. Napoli spent quite a long time going after these particular talents instead of making offers for others.

Put simply, De Laurentiis has not done enough this summer according to the Napoli faithful. Juventus and Roma have strengthened, Napoli have not. The only smart signing the club has conducted so far is for 23-year-old Kalidou Koulibaly. The Frenchman possesses a powerful stature (1.87m) and has impressed so far.

However, that is not enough defensive reinforcement. Having shaky centre-back Miguel Britos fill in at left-back is just not acceptable. An experienced option in Domenico Criscito could have satisfied. Benitez could have also looked into acquiring a mentor for goalkeeper Rafael Cabral due to Reina’s transfer to Bayern Munich. At 24, the Brazilian is still young for a keeper’s standards and could learn immensely from shadowing a proven goalkeeper.

Napoli also need to buy a ball-winner to put alongside Jorginho in the double pivot due Valon Behrami’s departure. A loan deal for Liverpool’s Lucas Leiva is not yet finalised and Tottenham’s Sandro represents another option. With Blerim Dzemaili and Gohkan Inler also rumoured to part ways, Napoli find themselves in some trouble as time is running out. Talks over Marouane Fellaini’s move to Napoli broke down due to the midfielder’s recent ankle injury.

Sure, the club have acquired Jonathan de Guzman and signed Michu on loan. But are these the type of players to make a real impact and potentially help elevate the club’s status? Only time will tell.

Who knows, maybe Benitez should not be so rigid with his 4-2-3-1 and test out a 4-3-3. His system seems to have had a detrimental effect on Marek Hamsik’s play. The club captain was one of Europe’s top assist leaders in 2012/2013 under Mazzarri. Last season Hamsik was a shadow of his former self and his recent form does not seem too promising. He still does not appear to look comfortable and or completely knowledgeable of his role in this formation as he becomes invisible in many matches. The man once valued at €100 million by De Laurentiis just might not be the right fit for Benitez’s system.

Napoli’s exit from the Champions League qualifier at the hands of Athletic Bilbao dealt a heavy blow to the club. The potential money accrued from television deals will now be split between just Juventus and Roma. Quality signings in defence and midfield are still desperately needed.

Fans of the club hope De Laurentiis sees the disappointing loss as a wake up call to invest, but with just days before the window closes it may be too late. Fans say the president lacks the necessary ambition to lead a club like Napoli. Hopefully De Laurentiis can prove them wrong.

Napoli will now look to the Europa League as an early consolation prize for their season that has not even begun. Benitez is the renowned king of cup competitions so Napoli will strive to improve on their Round of 16 finish last season.

If Benitez can keep his side focused and motivated on the year ahead and secure a top three finish, he can bring back the joy to the San Paolo.