Davide Zappacosta has joined AS Roma on loan until January, but it looks as though he still has a future with Chelsea after all. It looked as though the full-back was deadwood at Stamford Bridge after it emerged that boss Frank Lampard was willing to loan him out to the Serie A side for the rest of the season.
However, not only is Zappacosta’s loan deal for a few months, he has signed a new one-year contract extension with the Blues before heading back to his homeland.
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That would suggest that Lampard still believes the player could have a future at the Bridge and wants him effectively tied down for the next three years. The 27-year-old Italy international signed for Chelsea from Torino in a reported £23million deal in 2017, but he made only four Premier League appearances last season under compatriot Maurizio Sarri, although he was a regular on the continent as Chelsea won the Europa League.
His move to Roma includes an option to extend the loan until the end of the season and Zappacosta is delighted to have sealed the Serie A switch. “I am pleased to join Roma, after an experience overseas that helped me progress as both a player and a person,” Zappacosta told Roma’s website.
“Being able to play for a great club like this is a huge motivation – I cannot wait to start training alongside my new teammates.”
Roma sporting director Gianluca Petrachi, who worked with Zappacosta at Torino, added: “Compared with the player that I knew at Torino, now Roma are getting a player who has matured both as a player and a person after a valuable spell in another league.
“I am certain that Davide will be able to make an important contribution during the course of the season.” Zappacosta’s new deal with Chelsea commits him to the club until June 2022.
There were concerns over the fact that Zappacosta would just have one year remaining on his deal once he had spent the season with Roma, and that would hit their chances of getting a good fee for him if they did wish to sell.
The new deal protects both Chelsea and the player and is a good move all round.
It is also a clever move as Chelsea will be able to bring Zappacosta back to the club should youngster Reece James struggle to provide adequate back up to Cesar Azpilicueta.
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