Zola, Di Matteo, Cudicini, Vialli, Ranieri and Ancelotti. So goes a somewhat truncated list of Italian stars to have left an indelible mark on Chelsea football club in years gone by.

Be they awe inspiring midfielders or steely tactful coaches, each has left Chelsea in better condition than when they joined the club, and so Chelsea’s recent announcement that Antonio Conte will be the next man at the helm at Chelsea can’t have come as a huge surprise. His arrival is set to maintain a pattern of Azzurri ascendancy at the London club, decades in the making.

Chief amongst these names is Gianfranco Zola. Possibly the most loved Chelsea player of all time, he brought grace and guile to Stamford Bridge in measures Blues supporters were not aware existed.

Chelsea were not famed for their trickery and deftness of touch, indeed Ron ‘Chopper’ Harris, who still holds the record for most club appearances at 795, previously remarked that the only difference between his own tackles and those of John Terry is that when when Terry tackles someone, the guy gets up afterwards.

Zola was the key step in shifting the side’s footballing philosophy, an impact acknowledged by the club in retiring his number, 25. Add to this the European Cup Winners Cup won under Vialli, the club’s first ever domestic double with Anceloitti, and of course the Roberto Di Matteo journey towards the Champions League in 2012 and the Italian influence at the club becomes irrefutable.

Claudio Ranieri is perhaps the best example of bringing the club to a better condition than he found it. From finishing sixth in his first year, he would introduce the likes of Frank Lampard during his tenure and, admittedly with the help of some Russian roubles, would ultimately lead them to second place in the league upon leaving the club.

Conte would struggle to leave Chelsea in a worse position than they are at currently.

Chelsea languish in 10th place in the Premier League, were knocked out of the FA Cup by Everton and saw their Champions League challenge limply implode against PSG for a second successive year.

Recent departures of players who have become synonymous with the club such as Didier Drogba and Petr Cech appear to have left holes difficult to fill, and given the club’s decision not to renew John Terry’s contract come season end, this is a gap which shows no sign of closing. Antonio Conte however, has seen it all before.

Upon his appointment to Juventus in 2011, the Turin club were in less than rude health. Having finished seventh in the league for two successive years, the club appeared directionless.

June of 2011 would see the Italian match-fixing scandal grab international headlines but despite the obvious nadir Italian football was entering, Juventus’ plight at times seemed to surpass it.

Conte took the Juve job just a month before the scandal broke, and despite the uncertainties and ineptitude surrounding Italian football at the time, he would go on to re-build Juventus into the European superpower it once was. Three consecutive Serie A titles for the first time since the 1930s would follow for Bianconeri, not to mention Conte being named Serie A Coach of the Year each time.

The very manner in which such success was achieved has striking parallels to Chelsea’s current predicament.

As previously mentioned, recent years have seen a raft of totemic leaders bid adieu to Chelsea, and with no prospect of Champions League football next year, top names such as Diego Costa and Eden Hazard are frequently linked with transfers away from the club.

Conte’s transfer market record at Juventus would go some way to quelling Blues fans’ apprehensions. Andrea Pirlo, Carlos Tevez, Arturo Vidal and Paul Pogba were all lured to ply their trade in Turin under his tutelage. Whether the latter can in turn be enticed to Stamford bridge remains to be seen.

Chelsea is a proud club of a storied tradition, and while recent exploits have been attributed to the role of a certain Russian oligarch, the Italian influence at the club is not to be underestimated. The Stamford Bridge faithful have enjoyed a happy relationship with Italians throughout the club’s history, and a cursory glance at Antonio Conte’s managerial history would suggest such a rosy relationship is set to continue.

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