It is hard for a full-back to stand out when another player in his position is named as the league’s player of the season.Yet that is what Marco Palestra did, outshining Inter’s Federico Dimarco, who was officially Serie A’s MVP in 2025-26. Palestra, on loan at Cagliari from Atalanta, was named the league’s defender of the year and also won their Frecciarossa award, given to the player who recorded the highest average top speed during the season.That hit Inter’s radar and the Serie A champions were keen to pair Palestra, their former academy player, with Dimarco this summer. However, The Athletic reported this week that Palestra is leaning instead towards joining Chelsea. Here, we analyse what makes the 21-year-old such an attractive option.Palestra ranked 12th among Serie A outfielders for minutes played last season with 3,084. As the graphic below shows, most of his minutes came as an attacking right-sided wing-back in Cagliari’s 3-5-2, but he occasionally featured on the left too.Palestra’s versatility is one of his standout attributes. He is equally strong receiving, passing and dribbling with either foot, making him an option on either flank. So, while his best moments have come on the right, don’t be surprised if new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso uses him on the left following Marc Cucurella’s €60million (£51.7m; $68.4m) move to Real Madrid.At former club Bayer Leverkusen, Alonso used Alejandro Grimaldo as an attacking wing-back on the left ahead of a back three. Grimaldo’s dashboard from Leverkusen’s unbeaten 2023-24 Bundesliga season shows a player with the freedom to create from anywhere on the left, resulting in a return of 10 goals and 13 assists in 33 matches.Palestra, nine years Grimaldo’s junior, does not have as refined an offensive game, but provides a few different dimensions — including a more seamless fit into a back four.