Gianfranco Zola admits he urged Chelsea to sign Napoli midfielder Stanislav Lobotka.
The Slovakia international signed a new deal to 2027 on Wednesday.
Napoli signed Lobotka from Celta Vigo in January 2020 and he initially struggled, but has gone from strength to strength under coach Luciano Spalletti.
I already knew Lobotka, because I saw a few of his games when he was proposed to Chelsea," revealed Zola before last night's Champions League match against Eintracht Frankfurt.
He was a good player, but nowhere near what he has become at Napoli today."