Italian football legend, Gianfranco Zola is set to leave Chelsea this weekend following the expiry of his contract with the blues. Zola served as the assistant manager under Maurizio Sarri, who replaced Massimiliano Allegri in Juventus.
After turning down an ambassadorial position at Stamford Bridge, Zola will be leaving the blues on Sunday when his contract expires. Zola played for Chelsea from 1996 to 2003 and served under Sarri last season as the team returned to the Champions League. The club finished the season at third-place in the premier league and took the Europa League title.
With both Sarri and Zola away from the team, Frank Lampard is set to take over the lead with his staff. Lampard has been endorsed by young stars in the team like Tammy Abraham, as well as Chelsea fans who like to wager at Betway Uganda through https://www.betway.ug/. The 41-year-old legend has declared to ensure that young players in the club breakthrough.
Zola rejected the ambassadorial position at Chelsea to pursue a career in management. According to Fulvio Marrucco, Zola’s lawyer and longtime agent, Gianfranco is ready to take his career to the next level after a season of fantastic results and hard work alongside Sarri.
The Italian is open to remaining in England, not only because he’s highly accommodative but also his experience. Zola has managed Birmingham and Watford in the Championship and also Premier League club, West Ham. The coach has shown what he can do in both Watford and West Ham, though it didn’t work out at Birmingham. Nonetheless, the 52-year old is keen on developing young English talent, most likely with the assistance of a technical director.
Zola’s departure comes as Chelsea has completed signing Real Madrid’s Mateo Kovacic, beating Fifa’s transfer ban by 72 hours. Kovacic has been permanently signed on Stamford Bridge for £40million, after spending last season in the club on loan. As such, Chelsea was allowed to sign the Croatian player despite their transfer ban.
Chelsea received a two-window transfer ban by FIFA starting this summer following lengthy investigations on how they’ve signed players in their academy in the last few years. The club denied all wrongdoings and has appealed against the move, though the ban is yet to be frozen.
Earlier in January, Chelsea signed Borussia Dortmund’s Christian Pulisic but loaned him to the Bundesliga club. However, the USA midfielder is set to return to Stamford Bridge this summer and Kovacic is ready to play as Chelsea’s second purchase. It’s also likely that Kovacic will Chelsea’s last purchase ahead of the new season as they prepare to sign a new contract with English forward James Hudson-Odoi.
Last season, Kovacic featured in 51 games for Chelsea, though he didn’t manage to score any goals. He joined the Spanish side (Real Madrid) in 2015 following his two years with Internazionale but failed to secure a regular starting spot at Bernabéu. Nonetheless, he’s expected to prove his worth next season as Eden Hazard leaves the blues to join Real Madrid on an £88.5 million deal that could reach to £130 million.
