Zola greatest import to England, says Lampard

FRANK LAMPARD declared that Gianfranco Zola was the best ever overseas import to English football as he urged the veteran Italian striker to stay at Chelsea for one final season.

Zola, 36, will decide this summer whether to extend his stay in the Premiership into an eighth season and, given his enduring form and rediscovered sharpness in front of goal, the chances are that he will be persuaded to play on.

Such has been his impact on English football already, however, that Lampard rates his team-mate above Eric Cantona and Dennis Bergkamp as the most influential foreign star to have graced the English top-flight.