Marco Palestra to Chelsea: Why the Atalanta wing-back’s pace and speed make him a Premier League fit | Football news
“It looks like he’s a player built on a PlayStation,” Cagliari coach Fabio Pisacane said The sky in Italy recently. “Ninety-nine percent and more. He’s good even when he runs. He’s like a panther, like a tiger.” That man is Marco Palestra.
Cesc Fabregas is a great host. The great Arrigo Sacchi has pushed for his call-up to the Italian national team. Gennaro Gattuso is duly responsible. Luciano Spalletti once got his name wrong but he had heard all about this rare talent from Atalanta.
That name, Palestra, means gymnasium in Italian so it should come as no surprise that the 21-year-old has been identified as the player Xabi Alonso wants to see in the Chelsea side. But there is much more to signing than that.
Palestra is versatile, able to play anywhere, as a full-back or winger. He can cross with both feet and hit the opponent as well. Only Juventus favorite Kenan Yildiz completed more take-ons than the Italian youngster in Serie A last season.
After enjoying a taste of the Champions League under Gian Piero Gasperini at Atalanta, Palestra’s loan to Cagliari was just what was needed. It is not always easy for young players to get regular minutes in Italy but Palestra recently played and played.
“He pulled the wagon, as they say, for seven or eight months, all with one breath,” explained Pisacane. “The national team, everything.” He started on opening weekend. “In front of 70,000 people in Naples.” And he showed what he can do the next time he faces Parma.
“He did that famous slalom run, which started from the back, and then he allowed us to score to make it 2-0.” Andrea Belotti’s assist for Lecce followed in the next game and the Palestra never looked back. “From there, Marco played all the way.”
He was in the last line of defense when he scored that goal in Lecce and even started three times in Cagliari. But his most common position was as a wing-back in Pisacane’s 3-5-2, a formation that Alonso also used at Bayer Leverkusen.
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Sky Sports pundit Jay Bothroyd gives his take on the Palestra
The Palestra is still small enough and versatile enough to be used in a variety of applications, however. Francesco Modesto, his coach at Atalanta’s promotion team for the season in Serie C, points to his ability to run with the ball with both feet as a quality that sets him apart.
“He has the ability to dribble the ball that few have. A right-footed player with the ball on the left means you don’t know which way he can go. He can cross left and right.” The Palestra are ranked ninth in Serie A for successful crosses in open play.
Palestra’s crossing was a feature of his game during his loan spell at Cagliari
He also ranked third for most corners won, another testament to his ability going forward. That will be an important part of his role at Chelsea, in a back four or five. Cagliari were the bottom team in terms of points and possession. It will be a fix.
But the expectation among those he has worked with is that he is qualified to make that change. Modesto is on record as suggesting that the Premier League is not ready for these talents. “Because of his physical condition.”
It wasn’t always the power — Palestra himself says he once walked slowly — but the rapid growth during his teenage years transformed his physical strength. There was interest from Bournemouth last summer as they believed he would suit their high tempo game.
Touch map of the Palestra of Atalanta in the Champions League in 2024/25
Scouts from all over Europe who visited Sardinia last year will have seen the trend of standing out against strong opposition. Even at Atalanta, he came against Real Madrid in the Super Cup and got the start of the Champions League.
He is one of the few who came up with a loan when Italy was eliminated from the World Cup in the qualifying matches against Bosnia-Herzegovina in March and is considered the future of the national team. His playmaking ability alone is seen as proof of what Italian football lacks.
There is praise for his mind as well, a strong support network. “The qualities are not only technical and tactical, but a boy with a good head on his shoulders, he has a family that helps him a lot, people who are willing.” And the certainty that it is coming.
“Marco, in my opinion, has not shown his potential,” said Pisacane The sky. “Marco showed, I don’t want to exaggerate, 60 to 70 percent.” If Alonso and Chelsea can help unlock the rest then Palestra, this PlayStation soccer player, could be the real deal.
