Who is Davide Zappacosta: the latest Chelsea surprise signing

Lorenzo Bettoni
31 ago 2017

Chelsea have agreed to sign Davide Zappacosta for € 25 million from Torino. The Italian right-back has imposed himself as one of the best defenders in Serie A and is the kind of player Antonio Conte likes: humble, starving for victory and with an endless energy to cover the right flank: Zappacosta can either play in a four-man defence or in place of Victor Moses in a 3-4-3- system.

Zappacosta joined Torino from Atalanta for only € 4.3 million in the summer of 2015 and during his two-year spell with the Granata he managed two goals and six assists in 58 appearances.

Just like Marcos Alonso, Zappacosta is not a very well known player in England and is definitely not as popular as Oxlade-Chamberlain who rejected a move to Chelsea to join Liverpool.

The Italian right-back had never received an Italy-call up by Antonio Conte during his two-year spell as Italy national team coach. Zappacosta used to play for Atalanta and was only 22 year-old when Conte was appointed as Italy coach and his lack of experience at the time could be the main reason why Conte had never given him a national team call-up.

More recently though, Zappacosta has hit his stride, and the player can now boast four appearances with Italy national team, all of them made under Giampiero Ventura.

He is probably not going to be a regular starter at Stamford Bridge, at least not at the very beginning of his new English experience.

Victor Moses, in fact, has proved to be a very reliable right-winger and Zappacosta will battle it out with him for a starting spot, but with Chelsea also be involved in the Champions League campaign this season, it’s pretty safe to say that both players will find plenty of game time.

One final note regarding the player’s price-tag: Zappacosta has proved to be a very solid and reliable defender but € 25 million seems to be a bit too much for the Italian right-back. Time, however, may prove us wrong. Marcos Alonso’s price-tag also seemed way too much just one year ago and look at what the Spaniard has been capable of producing during his one-year spell at the Stamford Bridge.

Oxlade-Chamberlian would have been a regular starter for Chelsea, but Zappacosta won't be a starter straight-away. The work of Conte will definitely be vital to help Zappacosta improve and become a reliable right-back at a domestic and International level.

@lorebetto