Chelsea have agreed a deal with Atalanta to sign defender Marco Palestra, and his remarkable ability to win fouls could give a real boost to their set-piece numbers.
It was a rapid development that saw Palestra headed to Stamford Bridge, with Inter Milan looking set to sign the full-back before Chelsea swooped in.
It is believed that Xabi Alonso played a key part in bringing the Italian to the club, with him clearly having a plan in mind to work him into his starting side.
RATE 1️⃣-🔟: Is Marco Palestra a good signing?
Serie A's Best Defender of 2025-26.
Marco Palestra could help Reece James significantly improve his assist numbers at Chelsea
This could come on the right of defence, with reports that the new manager has considered using Reece James in a central midfield role should Enzo Fernandez leave the club.
If the Argentine does depart, it can be expected that the club captain will take over the majority of set-piece situations where it favours right-footed players, and those could be set to crop up a lot more following the signing of Palestra.
On average, the Italian is fouled 2.9 times a game, which is a figure higher than every single Premier League player, with the exception of Jack Grealish.
While a lot is made of how many goals Chelsea concede from set-pieces, they also score a lot. Only three sides scored more goals from those situations than the Blues in the Premier League last season.
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Creating more of these opportunities will be a real boost for their goal threat, and also giving James the chance at registering more assists.
The World Cup has so far not seen the Chelsea man taking too many of those free-kicks, or even corners. That responsibility has largely fallen to Declan Rice.
Deliveries have largely been quite poor though, and there may be an argument for James to take on that responsibility more as the tournament progresses.
It would be good practice for the skipper ahead of next season, where he can expect to find himself taking far more free-kicks with Palestra on the pitch.
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