Late last week, reports emerged claiming that Gianfranco Zola could end up joining Maurizio Sarri at Chelsea should the former Napoli manager end up on the Stamford Bridge bench.
The Blues icon would return to the London club as one of Sarri’s staff, but before that happens, Antonio Conte needs to be released from his role.
On top of that, there would also need to have been contact between Chelsea and Zola, which has yet to happen according to the manager’s agent Fulvio Marrucco, who spoke to CalcioNpoli24.
He said: “There have not been contacts with Chelsea or with Sarri’s staff. The first step is to find an agreement between Conte and Chelsea for the contract termination, then Sarri needs to sign.
“Zola is very happy about the rumours. His managerial idols are Guardiola and Sarri. Working with Maurizio would be a fantastic thing. For him, it would be a return home, as Chelsea is home away from home for Zola.”
The agent went on to explain he had no meetings planned about this particular move in the coming days, meaning it’s all pure speculation for now.
Perhaps someone in Sarri’s camp let the information slip, but down Chelsea’s end, it appears everything remains the same as it has done since the end of the 2017-18 campaign: Conte is still manager.
