Chelsea’s new manager has stated that he is in contact with one of the legends of the club. Gianfranco Zola, who played for Chelsea in the 90s and early 2000s, is constantly spoken to by the former Juventus manager.
Conte has seen his side do well in the Premier League as they lie second in the league and he spoke about the rivalry between the pair.
“Gianfranco was a great opponent because at that time Parma was a title contender and they had an amazing team with Asprilla and Dino Baggio and a lot of good players.”
Conte was starring for Juventus while Zola was playing for Parma in Serie A. The duo also represented the national side and Conte touched about that great 1994 World Cup run that the Italian side had.
“With Italy we played together in a fantastic World Cup in 1994 when the team lost the final against Brazil on penalties.
“But I remember it very well because the referee sent Gianfranco off in an incredible way in one of the games – he didn’t deserve it, he was so disappointed.”
Meeting with the Chelsea legend
The current Chelsea manager also spoke about when the pair met up.
“He is a very good guy and in December I went to the Middle East for a meeting and I went to see him with the team he was with. We went to dinner together.
“Now I speak with him on the phone but I hope to see him soon to have dinner again.
“I hope to see Gianluca [Vialli] as well soon but I repeat, I am very concentrated with the team and it is difficult for me to find spare time to see them.”
Zola isn’t linked with any club at the moment and many fans will hope that he does return to the club in a coaching role. Conte already has another Italian in the side in his backroom staff. Carlo Cudicini, who was one of the best Chelsea goalkeepers in recent times, is part of the side.
“I have Carlo Cudicini who is helping me and the other staff a lot with his experience,” Conte said.
“He knows the club well and for sure he is a person very important at this moment – he is helping to create a good relationship with the players.”
Chelsea fans would love it if Zola is brought back to the club but Conte might prefer to keep the number of influential figures as low as possible. The Blues have been doing pretty well under the former Italy coach and hopefully, they could end the season with some silverware.
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