@ Christino: I really dont see what your point is: Ranieri is the only chelsea cloach out of the last 4 that didnt win anything, Even Gullit that was a player-Manager won smething! Vialli won 5 trophies! Ranieri:Non!Mourinho 4 and still counting! The guy over rotates his players, while he has a Knack for buying good players, he didnt win the Seria A or La Liga or premiership, his success as a coach is just limited to cup titles in Italy and spain, i am not saying that he is not a good coach, but statistics doent lie!!
I dont know where you got your Zola Story but my understanding as Akola has said was that he wanted to play one more season in his homeland before retirement! Read more about it here if you wish: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/c/chelsea/3051260.stm

@Adblues

Thank you so much, i am getting tired of those things.

Where do you live?

You so much deserve Chelsea Souvenir from me.

This will not bring conviction still; this I have learnt about the sports land here on nairaland

@No sweat sir!! i am a Lagosian but presently live/work in Constantine, Algeria!!!
@ Cabali It is understandable as support for your favorite club normally comes with passion, but it should not becloud the truth!

It doesnt!!!! I dont allow it to!

It is just that when peeps say stuff about chelsea, they dont care what evidence u bring, they will stick to their guns, still!!

@ Adblues, thanks a lot for the link, i'll just copy and paste it in here, and highlights my points. Thanks a bunch.

Zola explains Chelsea decision


Zola's career statistics
Gianfranco Zola has revealed Chelsea made a last-ditch attempt to get him to stay at Stamford Bridge - but the Italian kept his word and signed for Cagliari.
The 37-year-old striker gave a news conference at the London club before heading off to his home island of Sardinia where he will captain the Serie B side next season.

Zola admitted his sadness at leaving Stamford Bridge especially since the club are set to undergo a major revolution with Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich at the helm.

Abramovich's takeover of the club was finalised on 1 July, but it came too late for Zola who agreed to join Cagliari, the club he supported as a boy.

"Chelsea made me a better offer on 2 July but it would not have been fair to Cagliari," said Zola.


Chelsea is the place that made Zola so important football wise

Gianfranco Zola

"They had been after me for such a long time and were confident of a deal. There are things in life which are important and I could not lose face.

"It was hard but I could not change my mind. Maybe I made a mistake, but I couldn't do anything. It was too late. I feel bad. I feel sad.

"Chelsea is the place where probably I received the most satisfaction of all. It's the place that made Zola so important football wise.

"But there is no blame for Chelsea. They had problems more important than renewing my contract so I have no reason to say anything about this club that has been so important for me and my family.

Feature:
Chelsea mourn Zola loss

"I will have only good memories about it. Unfortunately the renewal of my contract happened in a bad moment."

Zola said he was relishing the prospect of playing for Cagliari and added: "I'm going to a place where everyone's going to be very demanding of me.

"It makes me feel alive because of my reputation going in after many years.

"I like the challenge, really. I feel I can do something for the people who supported me in the first place."

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I think from here, you can clearly see that he was a free agent as at the last season. How could chelsea have watched their legendary player end a season without a transfer renewal half way. Read the highlighted parts properly. I'm a top fan of Zola since his red card against Nigeria and I love him pationately. I was glued to the TV throughout that period and you just confirmed it with that link. Thanks a lot if you care to read through again.

Bottomline: They had problems more important than renewing my contract. Now have I said anything contradictory? He had to move on, knowing there were important matters like takeover and reshuffling, he prolly won't fit in, he went back to His Serie B club. He obviously resumed negotiations with them at the end of that particular season. He's gone he's gone, no debating, but you now know the MAJOR reason why he left. At least, he's not like Ashley cole

@christino lanla?

I dont no o!!!

@Christinio

Dont just go there.

So you are glued to TV at that time,

I hope its not NTA news sha.

What am i glue to?

In Chelsea we don't discard our players because of Old age. , which is why players like Makalele will be in SB till 50.

We are not "use and dump" team

Zola is the mostimportant player that ever play for Chelsea, you need to visit SB.

Akola, Chelsea is not a use and dump team?? What happened that led to Zola's contract not being renewed early enuff to forestall his leaving the club? What happened to the likes of Damien Duff, Melchiot and Gronjkaer?

Em

@Kitaun

You mean Mr Injury Damien Duff?

Melchiot whose Mum even sayshe is not living up to expectation.

Zola at 37, How many team can have a player of that age in his squad beside being be a goalkeeper?

Players go, players come but we dont dump our legend because of age but we respect them if they want to leave.

I dont watch Zola's departure on NTA news, i am a blue blue. I may even see him in SB next saturday in our match against MT(FA cup).

Ok bros, 1. Mr injury was very instrumental to ur winning the 1st trophy under maureen yes or no? 2. Melchiot is a player's player whether or not u admit, did d mum say that b4 or after he left Chelsea? Can u remember the added impetus to the attack in his days, which of your right full backs are better than he is? 3. I thought u read the link? and u said u guys treasure ur legend? can it then be said that the standard applied to Zola too or did he want to leave on his volition? If maka-stone can stay up to 50 why was Zola not pressured to stay at 37?

@ Kitaun

Why must we pressure him to stay at all cost but i remember RA and Ranieri did go back to Italy after his departure.

I am certain he was pressured but still left of his own conviction: that he left is not a true state of the fact that he wasnt pressured to stay

Why allow your best player go like that?? It wasnt about the money was it? methinks it was about trying to demystify strongholds such which Zola had become

I dont seem to understand were they supposed to put a gun to his head to make him stay? He had his whys to leave, keeping him by forceful conviction wont do any better!

As a matter of fact, Chelsea's inability to renew Zola's Contract had to do with Money too!He was told to accept a pay cut, i think up to 40% but he saw a better deal in the caliagri's offer, so he took that one and by the time Roman brough his millions, they were able to offer a better deal but like a gentleman that he was, he decided to honor the agreement with caliagri!There is no love lost between the club and the Player and that was why his number 25 was retired (?), He is a Chelsea legend till tomorrow!!! Roman even attemted to buy the whole club!! (Caliagri) because of Zola!!!
damien Duff had to leave because he wanted more playing time, same thing for Huth!
Chelsea do have a history of having old players in their fold, Vialli, Gullit, Poyet,,Petrescu, Di matteo, Desaily, Deshamps e.t.c
@ Christino: That link was meant to correct the mistakes in your earlier post that Chelsea did not renew his contract because he was old!!

@ Akola,
If you do the same to Makelele, like leave him out till the 2nd of July (as a free agent) you'll be surprised Madrid'll snap him back but I'm sure Chelsea should be wiser now, why leave a legend out in the cold until a Billionaire takes over?


@Abd,
I think you are still saying the same thing.

If a player is asked to accept a pay cut for any other reason other than age, then you'd be right.Maybe you need to read that news again, this time objectively, cos when you have a bias mind towards something, you don't see the objective of it, it's just like an Adulterous Pastor Citing Solomon in the Bible

Okay, Chelsea woulda renewed his contract if he was YOUNG (like they always did, but this time, he's younger abi?). I'm not saying there's any love lost, but you need to read your post again. When you give so much of your heart to a club and an Italian division B VALUES you more, how do you feel? Sometimes you just have to play for pride. After having given his consent, Chelsea came up with a better offer, where was the offer all through the summer? Is he now younger all of a sudden? In the words of Zola, "they(Chelsea) had more important issues. . . (what's more to say-he wasn't a top priority @ that time? and all of a sudden New comer Roman would like to buy Cicily and Verona )"

The good thing is the player did not take offence and I'm happy about that. Even legendary Bergkamp had to stick with Wenger's policy of one year renewal for old players (Pires said he wasn't cool with that no more and left, yet would like to play one last season in Arsenal b4 retiring), either way, no one loses and it's good for both club and player.

I don't see why we should deviate so much from the topic, but its not best to leave a "faithful" player out in the cold if you think you'll still be needing him (or not really, just 2 honour him). It's a short career so make the money while you can!

I am just tired of all these.

@Christino and Kitaun

At the time Zola was leaving, how many minutes of football does he normally play in Chelsea's match(es)?

That should cap it!!!!!

@ Akola,

Stats don't lie, right? I don't know the total number of minutes he played in, but look at the stats:

Okay, in his last season alone, Zola started in 38 matches and came on as a sub in 8 games making 46 games in all. That same season he was Chelsea's top scorer (14 premiership goals and another 2 in the FA cup) beating Hasselbaink and Gudjohnsen and was the 11th top scorer in the league that season. What else do we want from a 36 year old?

Ok so can u put a cap on it already??

How else would u have discarded a legend? Even on basis of number of minutes played? Sooner than l8r we should see Maka-stone booted out then!

that wont happen!

@ Kit,

You know thinking about this man's contribution and i can't but envy Dennis Berkgamp. His send forth was just too too much, and that makes Arsenal a "good" club. Even Roy Keane left amidst controversy after winning trophies like no other for Man U. I hope Martins will do us proud @ Newcastle, he looks like a "faithful" hopeful to me.

Whats the relation to the thread please?

@ Cabali:

Get thee behind me . Thou. . . of Roman

the Bridge is REALLY crumbling. O ga o.

The prophets seem to be winning innit?? Thank God for his little mercies!

Crumbling ke?

Expect to see three new faces this Jan, 2 defenders and one 20 sumtin million pound attacker. Roman is tired of spending but this one last time HE MUST as he watches Ronaldo destroy his seasonal hopes game after game.

Micah Richards and Sol Campbell are both linked while their coaches say they are dedicated to their clubs, but we all know what Chelsea's money can do to premiership clubs. As for the 20 something plus gay coming in, i don't know who that is, can't even make a wild guess because the hottest propertys in quality soccer are in Spain.

Can't be Kanoute because he needs a proven track record to bag that prize and Sevilla most def won't be releasing the top scorer half season. Only over dead Rijkaard's body will Ronnie leave the Camp. David Villa Milito and Nistelrooy obviously are their clubs hopes this season, aint no body releasing for any cheddars.

Maybe He'll turn to the Italian league, but besides these 2, i don't think there'll be any surprises from south America unless these scouts are doing an underground job.

Christino suggests some psychological brainwash on Shevchenko, i think he does better when the season is hot so he can save chelsea 25 million bucks if he returns to his destructive scoring form (JM is heart broken already, is he missing Eidur?). Premiership defences are fast turning to what he sees in Italy. Legs ain't safe no more!!!

only unambitious clubs will sell their top players ds time of d season. let's see wht happens sha