Zola in Brum 'stab' storm
Blues must fight to seal a Sule deal
GIANFRANCO ZOLA insists he didn’t stab sacked Birmingham boss Gary Rowett in the back.
The Chelsea legend was named as manager at St Andrew’s just six hours after Rowett’s shock dismissal.
Zola takes over a club sitting seventh in the Championship – and he was the first to acknowledge what a good job Rowett had done.
However, he revealed his predecessor was already a dead man walking and insisted he wasn’t responsible for his departure.
Asked if he was aware there was a feeling Rowett had been stabbed in the back, Zola said: “You shouldn’t be asking me that question.
“I’m a manager who didn’t have a position and I have been asked to
John Terry and Kurt Zouma to call on. But Hoffenheim, who are unbeaten in the league and fourth in the table, insist they have no intention of letting the 21-year-old, who stands at 6ft 5in, leave in January.
“I can definitely exclude that,” said Alexander Rosen, the German club’s sporting director, about the prospect of Sule leaving next month.
Despite Hoffenheim’s stated intention not to sell, the Blues – backed by the immense wealth of owner Roman Abramovich – will work hard to wear them down.
While Hoffenheim have already played hardball with the Stamford Bridge outfit over the player this season, they do have a habit of selling if the price is right.
Roberto Firmino went to Liverpool in the summer of 2015 for £29m and another striker, Kevin Volland, joined Bayern Leverkusen in May for £16m.
Target
Rosen hailed the Volland deal as good business when it went through.
He said: “It was a great transfer, as far as our economy is concerned – just as it was the case a year earlier with Firmino.”
Chelsea are also considering a move for Southampton centre-back Virgil van Dijk, who has a £25m buy-out clause in his contract, but Sule remains their No.1 target.
The Premier League leaders go to Crystal Palace tomorrow with their 10-match winning streak on the line – and the hosts determined to end it.
Asked if all the talk being focused on their opponents could benefit Palace, Eagles captain Scott Dann said: “Possibly.
“They will be coming here on the back of 10 wins and hopefully we can be the team that turns them over and stops that run. That is exactly what we will try to do.
“We have a great set of fans here who make for an amazing atmosphere, so, come Saturday, hopefully they can help us get the right result.”