da betsson： Chelsea completed the signing of Torino right-back Davide Zappacosta on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee on transfer deadline day last week, and it is fair to say that many Blues fans may not be too familiar with the 25-year-old – who Transfermark value at just £7.65million.
da jogodeouro： Blues manager Antonio Conte had been looking for a player to provide Victor Moses with more competition in the right wing-back spot this season, and he finally brought the Italy international to Stamford Bridge just hours before the window slammed shut.
The Premier League title holders will certainly need that added squad depth this term as they look to retain their English top flight title as well as make an impact in the group stages of the Champions League, and they will hope that they have got a solid and reliable performer in the full-back.
To boost Chelsea supporters’ knowledge of their new man, here are five things they need to know about Zappacosta…
He could help make Morata a Chelsea legend
Having replaced Diego Costa as the Blues’ first-choice striker following his move from Real Madrid, Alvaro Morata will be looking to get as many goals as possible for his new club this season.
He will need some help and service from wide areas to do exactly that, and he could have the perfect man to provide him in Zappacosta.
According to Squawka, the 25-year-old has completed 247 crosses in Serie A since he moved to Torino in 2015 – only Antonio Candreva produced more in that time – with an impressive conversion rate of 25%.
With Morata known to be strong in the air and a good finisher, the link-up between the duo could help the Spaniard score plenty of goals and become a Chelsea legend.
He will bring more height to the Chelsea team
With the likes of Thibaut Courtois, Gary Cahill, David Luiz, Marcos Alonso, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Antonio Rudiger and Alvaro Morata at their disposal, Chelsea are one of the taller and more physical teams in the Premier League.
The addition of Zappacosta from Torino has only added to that, with the Italy international standing at 6’1″ tall – three inches taller than Victor Moses.
While he should prove to be a powerful force going forward, his height could be vital from a defensive point of view in what is going to be a long and testing season for the Blues.
He is stronger defensively than Moses
If Conte was looking for a player stronger defensively than Moses in the right wing-back spot, then he has certainly got it in Zappacosta.
According to Squawka, the 25-year-old completed an average of 2.85 clearances in each of his 29 Serie A appearances last season, compared 2.31 for Moses in 34 Premier League appearances.
The Italy international also made more blocks per game (0.42) than Moses (0.25) and he could prove to be a vital acquisition in those key defensive areas – zones the Nigeria international can sometimes struggle in as he is naturally a winger.
He was Matteo Darmian’s Torino successor
Manchester United signed Matteo Darmian from Torino in a £12.7m deal in 2015, and he has gone on to become an important and versatile defender at Old Trafford after initially struggling to make an impact under Louis van Gaal.
Losing their first-choice right-back, the Serie A outfit needed to find a successor for Darmian and it proved to be Zappacosta, who went on to make a big impact for his club over the last two seasons before completing his move to Stamford Bridge last week.
The 25-year-old will certainly hope to make as much of an impact – and perhaps an even bigger one – as his fellow Italian has with the Red Devils.
Conte knows what he’s all about
While he may well be unknown to some Chelsea supporters, there is no doubt that Antonio Conte knows Zappacosta well.
The former Italy manager named the former Torino man in his 30-man provisional squad for the 2016 European Championships, to show just how highly Conte rated him at the time.
Even though he didn’t make the final 23-man squad for the tournament, Conte instead insisted he stuck around to soak up the experience and he went on to make his debut for Azzurri in November.