Zappacosta joins Atalanta after 4 years with Chelsea

Paris, Aug 24, 2021 (AFP) - Italy defender Davide Zappacosta has left Chelsea to return to Atalanta, the two clubs and the player announced on Tuesday without specifying the length of the contract.

"Goodbye ChelseaFC what an amazing journey!" the 29-year-old tweeted.

"One FA Cup, one UEFA Cup, wearing these colours gives you a special emotion! Thank you for everything."

Zappacosta then switched to Italian in a tweet aimed at fans of Atalanta, where he spent four years before moving to Torino and then Chelsea in 2017.

"Bergamo! You've seen me grow as a man and as a player: coming back here is really special," he wrote.

"Thank you for your trust and esteem: I'll sweat to the last drop for this jersey and this city. As a man and as a footballer."

Zappacosta made 52 appearances for the Blues before being loaned out to Roma and then, last season, to Genoa. He has 13 Azzurri caps, the last of them in 2018