Premiership: Coaching role opens up for Zola

Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri has promised Gianfranco Zola a future coaching role at Stamford Bridge - but only after the Italian’s commitment to entertain crowds has finally been extinguished.

Zola, 35, has 18 months left on his contract at Chelsea after being persuaded to sign an extension last season when he had appeared to be on the verge of returning to Italy.

However, he is held in such high esteem at the club there is a clause in the deal allowing him to stay on for a further two years after that in an as-yet-unspecified role.

The Chelsea boss, whose own contract runs out at roughly the same time, declared: ‘‘If he wants to join the coaching staff, that would be fantastic for me.

‘‘If it’s possible that I can stay here then I would want Gianfranco. Whatever he wants from me, all the doors are open for him.’’

In the meantime, Ranieri still wants Zola to continue weaving his magic for the side, describing him as a ‘‘wizard’’ for his incredible ‘‘fantasy’’ airborne back-flick in Chelsea’s FA Cup third-round replay win against Norwich.

The striker himself also made it clear his hunger for the game is still very much alive as he searches for what could be the final trophy of his career.

‘‘I’ve always been keen to win things. If you haven’t got targets in your life and haven’t got that particular state of mind of trying to win something, you will never be a successful player,’’ he said.

‘‘I feel I’m still going to win something and as long as I keep that feeling alive, I’m sure something will come up. When it’s not there any more, there’s something wrong in yourself and you probably have to change your job.’’

That feeling is still there, however, and Zola is not prepared to compromise his desire to delight crowds, stressing - as only a handful of players, such as Paolo di Canio, could do - he is committed to being an ‘‘entertainer’’.

The Chelsea striker explained: ‘‘I’ve thought a lot about this and one of my duties is to entertain the crowd.

‘‘Of course, I also have to feed them with victories and trophies as they are also important but football is public entertainment and so we have to give the crowd something.

‘‘Sometimes, I’ve seen games where we’ve lost but we have delighted the crowd so much that they were as happy as if we’d won the game. We have to get victories but we have to make it enjoyable for them.’’

Zola achieved both of those targets with his inspired performance against Norwich, setting up a fourth-round meeting against West Ham, whom Chelsea also face this weekend in the league.

With a hip injury continuing to put Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s place in doubt, Zola is now looking to cement his place in the side after previously struggling to break up the Dutchman’s superb partnership with Eidur Gudjohnsen.

‘‘It was a very important for me to score a goal like that as I’m sure it will provide a big boost for the next games,’’ he said.

Ranieri, who will have John Terry back from suspension, also stressed his belief that Zola still has an important role to play for Chelsea as he described him as the perfect role model.

‘‘I want him this season and next season as well. He is a fantastic man as well as a fantastic player. This goal will be very important for his confidence,’’ he added.

‘‘Gianfranco is a very intelligent player. He has suffered this season but he knows how important he is for me, for Chelsea and for his team-mates.

‘‘He is a fantastic example for the other players. He is a point of reference and is one of my captains in the dressing-room.

‘‘I don’t know how long he can play on for. But if he enjoys the game, that’s important because he’s a good professional, has always eaten the right things and always prepares meticulously.’’

Ranieri knows all about Zola, having first coached him at Cagliari and then at Napoli in the season after Diego Maradona left the club.

‘‘The chairman asked whether I wanted a new number 10 and who they could buy to replace him,’’ recalled the Chelsea boss.

‘‘I said that we already Gianfranco, I believe in him and I want him. He played very well all season.

‘‘He’s like Maradona, always practising free-kicks over a wall in training - time after time. He has always trained a lot. He is an example to his team-mates and a good ambassador for us Italians.’’