Sport
Gianfranco Zola Critiques Chelsea’s Decision to Sell Key Players
Chelsea icon Gianfranco Zola has voiced his opinion that the club’s decision to sell three key players was a major factor in their early-season struggles last year.
Chelsea ultimately finished sixth in the Premier League, showing improvement in the latter part of the campaign.
Zola pointed to the sales of Kai Havertz to Arsenal, Mateo Kovacic to Manchester City, and Jorginho to Arsenal in January 2023 as significant setbacks.
He emphasized that these players were integral to the team’s core and leadership.
“Chelsea had a difficult start to the season, mainly because they underwent significant changes. They introduced many young players while losing experienced ones like Jorginho, Havertz, and Kovacic.
These players were the heart and soul of the team, and their absence was deeply felt,” Zola shared with Ladbrokes.
Despite the challenging transition, Zola acknowledged that Pochettino eventually managed to get the team back on track. However, he expressed disappointment over the changes and Pochettino’s subsequent departure.
Zola, who played over 300 games for Chelsea between 1996 and 2003, remains a passionate supporter of the club and its direction.
An apology from the Nigerian Football Federation was issued after the Super Eagles failed to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
It can be recalled that the Super Eagles played against Congo in which the official match ended in a draw of 1-1. But penalties ended in 4-3, with Congo ending with 4, which ended up in victory.
The NFF apologised to the citizens of Nigeria and the football lovers for the defeat.
The Confederation of African Football, CAF, has revealed a list of finalists for 2025.
The player of the year category for Men was the following three: Victor Osimhen from Galatasaray/Nigeria, Mohamed Salah from Liverpool/Egypt and Achraf Hakimi from PSG/Morocco.
While for women was Rasheedat Ajibade, Ghizlane Chebbak from Morocco and Sanaa Mssoudy from Morocco.
President of the South African Football Association, Danny Jordaan, defended the Super Eagles and expressed his belief in the team to defeat Congo in their next match.
It can be noted that Nigeria and Congo have a match for the final round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup playoff scheduled for Sunday, 16th November 2025.
“Nigeria is a big team; they have players who are among the best in the world, and I hope they will play true to their form and ability and get a good result.”
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