Remember this?

On 11/01/2025 at 15:06, Qaz said:

We don't need no Zappacosta

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davide_Zappacosta#/media/File:Davide_Zappacosta_2019.jpg

Davide Zappacosta, remember him?, apparently he still plays (for Atalanta now https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davide_Zappacosta).

We signed him for around 28 million euros (so says wikipedia at least) and he barely played for us (26 appearances over several years mostly in the cups, again quoting wikipedia).

So why bring him up? To me he's a warning what happens when you spend a significant sum of money on mid-twenties back up option.

They come on a high fee because they are playing well at the previous club to "earn" the move and then proceed to not play regularly for us meaning their value goes down (buy high, sell low). They are already established and have limited upside. And they deny a spot to a youngster who could do with those back up and cup minutes.

It's not that just him, Chelsea's history is littered with a bunch of these players (Djilobodji, Begovich, Danny Drinkwater, and maybe Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall?). Could be soon to be Marc Guéhi,

I like Marc Guéhi, I think he's a good premier league footballer, and if the price really is right, then fine. But he does tick alot of these "Zappacosta" boxes. He wouldn't be first choice in Chelsea's best 11 with a fit Fofana and Colwill. He'd be coming into a squad with lots of centre backs already here (some like Acheampong) look promising and he definitely not old (24) but he's not likely to get significantly better at Chelsea if he's not first choice.

I hope with the huge amount of talented kids (both purchased and youth system) we have here now, we are past the days of buying expensive back ups. Hell, the fact we let Guéhi go in the first place without having played him at all is an indication that we aren't giving the youngsters at the club enough of a chance as is.

Totally agree we like buying players cause it's like a new toy. Let's give our young academy players more opportunities when possible. They just as talented as all these expensive players we spending so much money on.