It may not be a defensive midfielder, but everyone can “Sheik Yerbouti,” (last Zappa reference, I swear!) as Atalanta fortify a weakened wingback core by bringing back Chelsea’s Davide Zappacosta. An Atalantino for one season, Zappacosta suffered through a near relegation season with La Dea, before moving onto Torino, and then the nomadic lifestyle of a Chelsea loan army soldier. Most recently at Genoa, Zappacosta will now make Serie A his permanent home, and now after Hateboer’s injury hopefully bring Atalanta some much needed wingback depth.
The transfer is reported at 10M euros, which seems quite steep for a player unable to get minutes in the Premier League; yet, it could be seen as a prioritization by the front office to fortify the all-important wingback positions with a no questions asked approach. The Piccini-dePaoli-Mojica experiment last year was a disaster, and maybe it is just better to slightly overpay for a player that can undoubtedly provide the necessary depth needed at the position.
While Zappacosta’s stint with Chelsea has not been what he would have wished, the Italian national did feature well for Genoa last year, slotting home four goals in his 23 starts for the Ligurian side. His ability to play both wings in a back three at Genoa will pay off nicely in Bergamo, and it would not be a surprise to see him become the first option off the bench on both the left and right hand side of the pitch. Especially now that he’s over his knee injury, there should be much less worry about an injury relapse – the most important trait of a replacement to fill in for an injured player!
Pacey, adept at dribbling, and also effective in the press, one wonders what would’ve happened if Zappacosta had gotten his hands on him prior to being shipped off to Torino. Nevertheless, Gasperini still gets his chance with the Chelsea man, and I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised to see him come through in spades for La Dea. Perhaps a bit of a splurge from La Dea, he comes in at a similar price to Matteo Lovato while being nine years older, Atalanta’s system has shown to suffer without appropriate play on the wingback. More than anything Zappacosta provides consistency, and while maybe not dynamism, he’s a welcomed addition to a sore spot that had Atalanta in fits last year. Welcome back to Bergamo, Davide, and as always Forza Dea!!!
