As transfer deadline day moves swiftly and hectically, the latest name linked with a move to Stamford Bridge is Torino right back Davide Zappacosta. Reports out of Italy claim that Chelsea have agreed to a £23m deal to bring him in before the window closes.
This news was met with a collective “WHO?”.
Thankfully, our two best friends Wikipedia and YouTube are here to get us started on this journey of learning all about Zappacosta.
* opens Zappacosta’s Wiki *
The 25-year-old has spent the last five years in Serie A, a stint at Atalanta preceding his move to Torino in 2015. While he’s a defensive player, he’s no a stranger to the odd goal as he has five to his name in that span of time. The video above that showcases his talents features a few right-footed lasers. In Antonio Conte’s set-up, full-backs and/or wing-backs are counted on to provide attacking production. Is he a right-sided Marcos Alonso, and not just due to circumstance? We can only hope.
A quick side venture to another good friend, WhoScored.com, shows that Zappacosta’s biggest and only strength, according to their mysterious metrics, is long shots. Tackling and defensive contribution are listed as his weaknesses. While it doesn’t show up in the their scouting report, the highlights prove he possesses great work rate and can put in a nice ball from the right flank. So, it seems as if he’s a very attack-minded player and could be a perfect fit for Conte’s system.
That’s the quick dive on what type of player Chelsea will/might be getting. The rest we’ll just have to judge when he actually steps on the pitch. Are you excited?