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.