According to a recent report by Football.London, quoting an exclusive interview with Sky Sport Italia, Chelsea defender Davide Zappacosta has revealed that he would ‘love to stay’ at Roma beyond the tenure of his current loan deal with the Serie A club. The Italian went on to reiterate the effort that he’s had to put in to make his way back towards full fitness, having suffered a gutting injury in the first part of the campaign.
Speaking exclusively to Sky Sport Italia, the Roma defender said, “On a personal level, I would love to stay in Rome for several reasons. The main one is that I want to show the fans, my team-mates and the management who I am and what I can do. I have worked a lot in these months, I have trained and I have made sacrifices to be available at the restart of the championship. I am doing some sessions completely dedicated to the knee, because it takes time to recover better from this injury. But now I feel 90 per cent fit.”
Davide Zappacosta Wants Permanent Move To Roma: What Is Chelsea’s Current Right-Back Situation?
The Blues arguably boast two of the strongest right-backs in the entirety of the Premier League at this point, with Cesar Azpilicueta and Reece James both viable options. The former’s versatility and experience have tempted Lampard to play him out of position on the left side this season, so as to give James his well-deserved opportunities down the right. The duo have been so effective this term that the manager ignored his left-back options for large chunks of the season.
Azpilicueta is the captain of this Chelsea squad, and he would be undoubtedly one of the biggest voices in the Blues’ dressing room. James, on the other hand, is a young academy product, who’s been in the London club’s ranks since he was a little boy. While Azpilicueta’s defensive prowess is well renowned around Stamford Bridge, James’ sensational attacking qualities will come as a massive boost to Lampard’s ambitions for the upcoming league seasons.
What Is Zappacosta’s Legacy At Stamford Bridge?
The Italian defender arrived in West London from Serie A side Torino back in 2017 and managed to win both the FA Cup and Europa League as a member of the first-team squad. Although the 27-year-old went on to make a total of 52 appearances for the Blues, he never really managed to nail down a place in the side in Azpilicueta’s presence.
Upon Lampard’s arrival last summer, the Italian himself chose to find a move away from Stamford Bridge and ended up securing a loan switch to Serie A giants Roma.
Should Lampard Look To Cash In On Zappacosta?
Frank Lampard has triggered what can best be described as a youth revolution at Chelsea since taking over from Maurizio Sarri last summer, and Zappacosta certainly wouldn’t fit into this system very well. With Reece James and Cesar Azpilicueta both available to the gaffer, it’s unlikely that Chelsea will need to purchase a new right-back for many years to come. Zappacosta is undoubtedly surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge, and they’ll do well to cash in on him this summer, to invest incoming funds on a more urgent positional requirement.
