Marco Palestra interview: Being Italy’s fastest player, following Zola and Chelsea ambitions

Perhaps it is fitting that Chelsea’s first signing of the summer was from Italy.

Over the past 30 years, the club have built quite a rapport with Italian football.

Gianluca Vialli kickstarted the connection when he joined from Juventus in 1996. Marco Palestra agreed to become Italian signing number 15 when bought from Atalanta in July. Including Vialli, there have been seven Italian managers, too.

Last season, Palestra excelled on loan at Cagliari to help them avoid relegation from Serie A. It is an achievement which should not be underestimated for a club of their size and spending power.

Cagliari already had a link to Chelsea because one of the west London club’s finest buys from Italy, Gianfranco Zola, left Stamford Bridge to join them in 2003 after shining in the Premier League for seven years. He later had a short spell as head coach there in 2015.

Cagliari is the capital of Sardinia, the city where Zola was born and is still revered. You do not play for that club without hearing all about a man who won five major honours with Chelsea and was named Football Writers’ Association Footballer of the Year in 1997.

“I did not call him (for advice about joining Chelsea) but I know Zola played at Cagliari and at Chelsea,” Palestra said. “He is a legend. Maybe I can do what he did at Chelsea. I hope (I can be a legend like him at Chelsea).

“Cagliari changed my life, for sure. When I arrived, after three days, I played in the starting XI. So the ‘mister’ (head coach Fabio Pisacane) gave me a lot of confidence and trust. Also, my team-mates, every game they had more confidence in me. The fans are top, crazy.”

It was the less heralded Davide Zappacosta, who made 52 appearances for Chelsea between 2017-21, that Palestra leaned on for most advice. They know each other well because Zappacosta has spent the past five years at Atalanta, while Palestra came through their academy.

“I spoke with Zappacosta after I joined Chelsea,” he says. “He always talked to me about good things from Chelsea. I played with him. He is a top guy. I know a lot of Italian players played here (at Chelsea). I want to be the next top one.”

Palestra may be a full-back who can operate on either flank, but his ability to run with the ball to take on opponents would have surely earned Zola’s approval. Last season, he completed the most successful dribbles (70) by a defender in the top-five European leagues.

With an average top speed of 27.96kmph (17.37mph), Palestra was the fastest player in Italy’s top division in 2025-26 and ended up being voted Serie A defender of the year. To put that achievement into perspective, previous winners of the award (there have been two versions of the honour since it began in 2000) include Alessandro Nesta, Paolo Maldini, Fabio Cannavaro and Alessandro Bastoni.

Marco Palestra impressed on loan at Cagliari last season (Enrico Locci/Getty Images)

“At the start of the season, I cannot imagine that I win Serie A defender of the year,” the 21-year-old admits. “It is a big honour to be the best defender but I know that it is only the start. I need to improve myself every day.

“I hope (to be the best defender in the Premier League). Maybe it is difficult, but I said the same at the start of the last season. I try to do my best. The first thing I want is to win for Chelsea. It is always the team (first). If, after the season, I win (or people talk about me being) the defender of the year, I am happy, but I prefer to win something for Chelsea and nothing for me.”

Palestra has not always had such pace nor operated on the flanks. At 15, he was still being used as a midfielder in Atalanta’s academy and was not known for being that quick.

He explains: “I remember I was the slowest one in the team but after maybe one or two years, I grew physically and I changed position. Before, I played in midfield, but I changed to left-back or right-back, so I understand that I am quick. It was crazy, crazy things.”

Chelsea really got to see Palestra put his acceleration to good use, in both defensive and attacking senses, on the right flank during their 1-0 pre-season defeat to Juventus in Hong Kong on Wednesday. He has played in all three pre-season friendlies on this tour, and new manager Xabi Alonso clearly likes what he is seeing.

Speaking to reporters after that match, Alonso said: “Marco, for sure, is having a great impact. You see his power. He repeats up and down, big stamina; quality as well in the last third. So we are impressed with him. Happy that we have Marco in the squad and that he gives a solution. He is a flexible player, so it is going to be very interesting to work with him.”

Palestra is one of the youngest acquisitions Chelsea have made in this window, albeit the arrivals of Geovany Quenda (19) and Dastan Satpaev (registered as a trialist until he officially completes his move when he turns 18 on August 12) mean he is not the most junior. Of the older variety, the club have brought in veterans Jordan Henderson (36), Danny Welbeck (35) and Maxence Lacroix (26) to name just three. Pep Chavarria (28) is also expected to complete a transfer from Rayo Vallecano of Spain soon.

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Chelsea regard Palestra as a ‘ready-made’ player because of his achievements with Cagliari and earning two caps with Italy’s full national team already.

In these first three pre-season games under Alonso, Palestra has clearly been encouraged to get high up the pitch and use his attacking attributes to pose a threat. He will get another chance to prove himself against one of Italy’s traditional powerhouses when Chelsea face Milan in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Saturday.

Alonso has clearly made a positive impression.

“I like the football of Xabi,” Palestra says. “All the (Chelsea) team-mates like the football of Xabi — it is a beautiful idea. I am happy to train and play the first matches with Xabi and my team-mates. For me, we can do a good season.

“He told me (before joining) what he wanted from me, his ideas, and other things, but it was not only about football. It was a good conversation about everything, so I was very happy with it.”

Palestra operates mostly as a right-back or wing-back, a position captain Reece James is most associated with. Instead of being threatened by the Italian’s arrival, James has welcomed it.

“He wrote to me when I joined Chelsea,” Palestra reveals. “It was a beautiful message. He said to me that he is happy I joined Chelsea and to write to him for advice, to know London, Cobham (the club’s training ground). I said hello to him when he came to Cobham one day, after the World Cup. I know he is a good guy, a good captain, so I cannot wait to play with him also.”

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Palestra did not get to participate with Italy at this summer’s latest edition of football’s biggest tournament, of course. They failed to qualify for the third successive time, a remarkable turn of events for a country that has won the World Cup four times. Only Brazil (five) have lifted the trophy more often.

Seven other Italy internationals are playing in the Premier League, including Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Manchester City), Sandro Tonali and Guglielmo Vicario (both Tottenham Hotspur).

“For sure, Italy is not in their best moment,” Palestra says. “It is a good thing I came to the Premier League, because it is the best league in the world. I can prove myself more.

“Me, and all the guys that play for Italy and also in the Premier League, we can help Italy go to the World Cup, win something. Italy are one of the best nations in the world for their (football) history. I know if we start with a good mentality, a clean mentality, because it is important, I know we can win the World Cup and the European Championship.”

It would not be the first time Chelsea and Italian football combine to good effect.