The right wing-back is joining Chelsea in a deal worth over €55 million plus a sell-on clause, making him the first major signing of the Xabi Alonso era at Stamford Bridge. Inter Milan had been in negotiations for weeks and appeared to be leading the race before Chelsea's improved financial package and a personal phone call from Alonso changed the picture.
Former Italy and Inter defender Giuseppe Bergomi was the most pointed in his assessment. Reflecting in Gazzetta dello Sport, he said he did not want to reduce it to a question of money but acknowledged the financial reality.
"I understand that at Chelsea he will earn double what he would have earned in Italy, but I do not want to think that for a 21-year-old the whole conversation reduces to just economics," he said.
For Bergomi, Inter would have been the ideal destination on footballing grounds.
"For how he plays, for how he interprets the position," he said. "Cristian Chivu's team plays 3-5-2, a system that enhances the qualities of wing-backs. Inter would have had a player like Hakimi again — someone with more pace and technique — after saying goodbye to Dumfries who offered more physicality."
He added a note of caution about the Premier League: "Playing regularly will be fundamental, including for the national team. But today Italian players who go abroad no longer fear losing the Azzurri shirt. Look at where Retegui, Calafiori, Tonali and Donnarumma play."
Paolo Di Canio, speaking on Sky Sport, said he was surprised by the final destination but understood the logic.
"Inter is one of our great clubs and until the end I felt Palestra had that intention," Di Canio said. "Then you add the Chelsea badge, the league and the salary. It makes all the difference in the world."
Di Canio was direct about the Premier League's value as a development environment: "The Premier is the best university in the world. In England it depends entirely on you: no distractions, no excuses, everything is in your hands."
Guido Angelozzi, who signed Palestra on loan at Cagliari last season and is now sporting director at Spezia, knows the player better than most. He had attempted to sign him for Frosinone the year before but was beaten to the deal at the last moment.
"I was convinced he would go to the Premier League — they followed him closely and saw he was suited to the English game," Angelozzi told TuttoMercatoWeb. "In his role he is a top-class player."
Asked what first struck him, he was direct: "He has everything: physique, strength, pace, dribbling. He is a complete footballer. And he is a good person who lives for football, has a supportive family and a good agent. He has everything he needs to have a great career."
Palestra was named Serie A Defender of the Year after a standout season at Cagliari on loan from Atalanta, making 37 appearances. He has two Italy senior caps.