Gianfranco Zola

Italian striker Gianfranco Zola said he would like to return to Chelsea in the future to work in either a coaching or managerial capacity.

Zola, one of the most popular foreign players to appear in the Premier League, scored 80 goals for Chelsea in a dazzling seven-year career at Stamford Bridge between 1996 and 2003. Just before he left the club Chelsea fans voted him as the best player in the club's history.

Zola said in an interview with The Independent on Friday that although he was currently coaching the Italian Under-21s with Pierluigi Casiraghi, he could see a future back at Stamford Bridge.

'Will I come back to Chelsea? We'll see. I think so. I think sooner or later I'll have a go. But at the moment it is important to get the knowledge. Playing football is one thing, but coaching is another.'

But the lure of returning to London seems irresistible.

'Chelsea is where I had the best satisfaction of all, where I was treated the best. This is a special place,' he said.

'I care about Chelsea very much and when I do come back I want to do something very valuable.'

Zola was also linked with a position at the English FA, working with coach Fabio Capello's backroom staff, but he said he was not approached for a role.

'I read that in the newspapers myself several times but I didn't speak to Capello or anyone else,' he said.

'I was very pleased (if) they were considering me but I have a commitment with the national team in Italy, a two-year contract.'

Zola also played for Napoli, Parma and Cagliari among other sides, and won 35 caps for Italy.