THE BLUE BARCA
Zola told to turn on style at Birmingham
NEW Birmingham boss Gianfranco Zola is under orders to turn Birmingham into the Barcelona of the Championship – and seal a play-off place THIS season.
The Italian has been drafted in to replace Gary Rowett, who was shockingly sacked by the club’s Chinese owners on Wednesday.
Having taken charge in 2014 with Blues in the Championship relegation zone, Rowett worked with a minimal budget to notch two tenth-place finishes and leaves the club just two points off a play-off place.
However, owners Trillion Trophy Asia, who took full control in October, feared the 41-year-old lacked the kudos to attract big names to St Andrews and have privately criticised both his record in the transfer market and Birmingham’s style of play.
In particular, they are irked that, having approved a £1.5m move for Watford playmaker Diego Fabbrini last January, Rowett has played the Italian just five times all season.
It is also understood his relationship with UK-based director Panos Pavlakis had become strained following protracted contract negotiations last year. It removed the buffer between Rowett and the new directors.
Nevertheless, TTA, owned by Hong Kong billionaire Paul Suen, had planned to let Rowett see out the season before rebuilding with Zola at the helm.
In his only public utterance, Suen assured City fans: “We have not come in to make outlandish promises or implement decisions that could cause upheaval to the detriment of the club or team.”
Not trusted
Ditching Rowett would appear a glaring contradiction, but with a kitty of £12m to spend in January and promotion now a realistic possibility, Suen and his directors have chosen to accelerate their plan. Rowett was not trusted to spend the cash on the kind of players TTA want to see. Zola is and, while the owners have not spoken publicly of their targets, the former Watford boss is aware he must deliver improvements this season or face the same fate as Rowett.
“I can only tell you what I know,” said Zola when asked about his remit. “That it looks to me they have an ambitious plan for this club, improving the team, improving other things. Rightly or wrongly, they believe this is a good move to take.”