Chelsea new-boy Davide Zappacosta has fired a thinly-veiled warning to rival wing-back Victor Moses that he is ‘convinced’ he will become a regular for Antonio Conte’s side.
The Italy international joined the Blues from Torino in the summer, and made quite an impression on his debut when he scored a wondergoal against Qarabag in the Champions League.
That sublime effort saw first-choice right wing-back Moses mocked by his team-mates on the bench, and the Nigerian has been given another warning to watch out for his place.
Despite not playing regularly so far at Stamford Bridge, Zappacosta believes Conte has faith in him and that he will prove himself as ideally suited to English football.
‘I am convinced that I am well suited to the style of football in England, probably even more so than Italian football,’ he told the club’s matchday programme.
‘There is more space because the intensity is higher and the game is much quicker, so I can look to exploit that.
‘I believe this is one of the best places to play football in the world, and I want to be involved in it for as long as possible.
‘He (Conte) has shown a lot of faith in me. Firstly with the call-up to the Italy squad in 2016 and also now by signing me for Chelsea.
Chelsea 2017/18 Fixtures
Newcastle (A) - Sun May 13
‘I really admire him, I owe him a lot and because he has shown so much faith in me, I want to repay that and do my best.’
Moses was one of Chelsea’s biggest success stories last season as he took his game to a new level under Conte, though there are signs he is not seen as untouchable any longer.
The 26-year-old was benched against Manchester City at the weekend, with Cesar Azpilicueta preferred on the right-hand side of Chelsea’s defence.
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