Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola has been linked with the Lazio job, which would mean no return to Stamford Bridge
Roberto di Matteo’s Chelsea future hangs in the balance, with the biggest game in their club’s history on the horizon.
Neither the Chelsea board nor Di Matteo are giving any indication as to his future, with cup success balanced out by indifferent league form.
If it were up to us, we’d say the Italian has done enough to warrant a full season in charge to show what he really do.
Not only that, but we would bring in Gianfranco Zola, who has management experience with West Ham, as his assistant to create a ‘dream-team’.
Chelsea fans would adore them, and some have been calling for the duo for quite a while. There may not be a better time to implement it.
Now, it looks like such a summer deal could be off rather than on, with Zola linked to the Lazio job.
Lazio finished fourth in Serie A, but manager Edy Reja still faces an uncertain future, and ex- West Ham sporting director Gianluca Nani has backed Zola as a candidate to take over.
If we were Zola we’d hang on a bit, to see if he gets a phone call from his mate Roberto, or from Roman himself.
Between the pair in their playing days, they racked up more than 440 appearances for the club, and 95 goals.
The assessment of the Chelsea board may be that the job is too big for Di Matteo, who is still relatively inexperienced compared to the Ancelotti’s of this world, and he could do with an extra helping hand.
If so, then there is only one man for the job, his former teammate. So he shouldn’t jump into a Serie A role just yet, and right now it is just talk and nothing concrete.
Right now, all Chelsea eyes will be on this weekend, and the chance to make history and become legends.
Zola is a Chelsea legend already, and Roman Abramovich bringing him into the fold next season would be the perfect solution.
image: © Ben Sutherland
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