Temas: Transfer, Chelsea, AS Roma, Davide Zappacosta
The Blues would have to cope with the loss of another defender.

Chelsea full-back Davide Zappacosta has secured a quick-fire loan move to Italian side AS Roma, the Premier League club confirmed on Wednesday. The 27-year-old defender will be with I Giallorossi until the end of January after extending his stay with the Blues until June 2022.

Zappacosta was brought to Stamford Bridge by Antonio Conte for a reported €28 million from Torino in 2017 but fell down the pecking order after failing to impress. The defender saw his chances of playing further limited with the arrival of Maurizio Sarri last season, finishing the campaign with just four Premier League appearances under his belt. However, he was frequently utilised in Chelsea's triumphant Europa League campaign, featuring in 10 matches for the London outfit.

On Wednesday, Chelsea confirmed it has finally reached an agreement with AS Roma for the transfer of Zappacosta who has amassed 52 appearances for the club since arriving. It is believed that the player's loan move could have been extended further to June 2020 but the Serie A club opted against it.

Speaking during his unveiling ceremony, Zappacosta expressed his delight in joining the club.

"I'm pleased to join Roma, after an experience overseas that helped me progress as both a player and a person," he told the club's official website.

"Being able to play for a great club like this is a huge motivation -- I cannot wait to start training alongside my new teammates."

With Chelsea losing David Luiz to Arsenal on transfer Deadline Day in England, the club now looks quite short-handed and lacking in quality in terms of defensive personnel despite featuring in three domestic competitions as well as this season's UEFA Champions League. The team will now rely on just Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, Fikayo Tomori, Marcos Alonso, Emerson, and Cesar Azpilicueta to keep things tight at the back with the new season already underway.