MX23RW : Wednesday, March 12 15:35:10| >> :60:166:166:

Gianfranco Zola: 'Andrea Belotti is perfect fit for Chelsea'

Zola: 'Belotti is perfect for Chelsea'
© SilverHub
Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola believes that Torino striker Andrea Belotti would be a "perfect" replacement for Diego Costa at Stamford Bridge.

Former Chelsea attacker Gianfranco Zola has claimed that Torino striker Andrea Belotti would be a "perfect fit" for the Premier League champions.

Chelsea are in the market for a new striker after manager Antonio Conte told Diego Costa that he has no future at the club, but they suffered a setback in their transfer plans when Romelu Lukaku opted for a move to Manchester United.

The Blues have since turned their attention to Real Madrid's Alvaro Morata, but Zola believes that Belotti would be a more natural replacement for Costa.

"To be honest, I was thinking Chelsea should go for Andrea Belotti in Italy. I thought that considering the type of qualities Costa has, that Belotti was the perfect fit," he told talkSPORT.

"Morata is a little bit different, he's more of a finesse player. He hasn't got the presence of a player like Costa in the box. He's a different player, he brings other qualities.

"Costa was very influential last season, he's a type of player who fits with the style of football at Chelsea, and [finding a like-for-like replacement] will be the key for Chelsea."

Belotti, who scored 32 goals for club and country last season, has a minimum release clause of €100m (£89m) in his contract.

ID:302522: cacheID:302522:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2597:
Written by
Barney Corkhill
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Alvaro Morata of Spain celebrates scoring in the Euro 2016 match against Turkey on June 17, 2016
Read Next:
Report: Chelsea turn to Morata, Belotti
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool29217169274270
2Arsenal281510352242855
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest28156745331251
4Chelsea28147753361749
5Manchester CityMan City28145953381547
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2814594738947
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton28121064640646
8Aston Villa2912984145-445
9Bournemouth28128847341344
10Fulham2811984138342
11Crystal Palace2810993633339
12Brentford28115124844438
13Tottenham HotspurSpurs281041455411434
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd2897123440-634
15Everton2871293135-433
16West Ham UnitedWest Ham2896133248-1633
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2865173857-1923
18Ipswich TownIpswich2838172658-3217
19Leicester CityLeicester2845192562-3717
20Southampton2823232068-489


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!