Chelsea have some dead weight to clear out, and some players who need to go at the lowest price necessary. Davide Zappacosta is neither, and the Blues should not sell him at a loss.
Chelsea had several players who struggled with their first season in the Premier League. Alvaro Morata, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Antonio Ruidger had strong moments punctuating otherwise unspecatcular debuts. Bakayoko and Rudiger at least finished in the ascent, building promise for next season. Alvaro Morata front-loaded his best efforts, raising questions but still speaking to a much better sophomore edition.
Then there are the players in the “failure to launch” category. Davide Zappacosta could be their poster boy. His long, graceful, arcing cross that went into the Qarabag net gave a false impression of more worldies to come, or at least of a man under a lucky star. He only scored one more goal in 2017/18, another indignity the season inflicted upon Stoke City.
Inter Milan are supposedly willing to pay £17.5 million to take him away from Chelsea and restore him both to Italy and – presumably – a regular place in the squad. Their offer is at least 25% too low. Zappacosta is worth a minimum of £23 million, since that is what Chelsea paid for him.
Zappacosta is far from being the sort of player the club cuts their losses on. He is 26 years old, with only a single season in England and no major injury history. Even though he is in an uncomfortable and grim position between Victor Moses and Cesar Azpilicueta in the right-side form charts, he can still have a productive role as a Blue. If Antonio Conte* shifts Moses up to the right wing to replace Willian, keeping Azpilicueta on the backline, Zappacosta could still have a role as right wing-back. Or if either player is out with injury – the main source of Zappacosta’s minutes last season – he could have a prolonged spell on the flank.
In many of his appearances in 2017/18, Zappacosta looked like a player who simply needed time on the pitch. He was not inept, unfit or untrainable. He simply lacked match sharpness because he had so few minutes in so few matches. If he had been able to string together some strong performances and do something productive with his pace and craftiness, he could have displaced Victor Moses during some of the Nigerian’s bleaker spells.
The worst outcome of keeping Davide Zappacosta is if he blocks a younger player from the matchday squad and the handful of appearances in the Carabao Cup and Europa League. Ola Aina and Dujon Sterling have the most potential to grow into Chelsea’s next right-back or wing-back. Sterling is on the verge of spending next season on loan at Coventry City. Aina had a stand-out yet on loan at Hull City, and deserves a long look during the pre-season. If he does not stay with the Blues, he should have a Premier League or Bundesliga loan to complete his development and return for good in 2019.
SkySports reports a potential loan with option to buy for Zappacosta and Inter Milan. This could be the best solution for all involved. A year of regular playing time could restore Zappacosta’s market value to what Chelsea paid for him, or even increase it so the Blues can turn a profit. Inter would absorb some of his wages, freeing up money for Chelsea’s summer transfers and contract business. If Inter opted not to buy, the Blues would still be in a better position to sell him, barring a major injury or freakishly poor season.
Davide Zappacosta is on pace to be among Chelsea’s Hall of Transfer Oddities. He has a greater chance of joining the ranks of little-known players who out-performed their initial anonymity (see also: Alonso, Marcos) than taking his place among the busts. Part of that is simply down to his low transfer fee. As little as Chelsea paid for him, they should not sell him for any less.
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*He’s still the coach, you know, despite Maurizio Sarri going on his second month of being hours away.