Zola praises €90m Chelsea and Man Utd target: 'He has my qualities'

Tom Weber

11 Apr 2025 10:44 CDT
4 min read

Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola has revealed that Serie A stars Kenan Yildiz and Dan Ndoye remind him of himself as they continue to play themselves into the spotlight.

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Juventus wonderkid Yildiz has been regarded as one of Europe's biggest talents for some time. However, his relationship with the Old Lady hasn't always been without controversy.

Compared

Kenan Yıldız

M (L)

Juventus

Kenan Yıldız

M (L)

Juventus

VS

Dan Ndoye

M (RL)

Bologna

Dan Ndoye

M (RL)

Bologna

2024/2025

Season Statistics

2024/2025

5	Assists	5
43	Appearances	36
7	Goals	8

There have repeatedly been murmurs of unhappiness due to a lack of regular minutes. This was the case last season and again at times this term, but there is hope in Turin that new coach Igor Tudor will give him a role that reflects his evident potential and talent.

Still, his future has once again come under scrutiny. Last summer, Chelsea reportedly came calling but were rebuffed by Juventus, who considered the Turkish teenager 'untouchable.' However, due to their poor season and need to raise funds, he could become available for the right price.

In addition to Chelsea, this has attracted the attention of Man Utd as well. The latter have also been linked with Bologna winger Dan Ndoye, who previously played for INEOS-owned Lausanne and Nice and who starred for Bologna against Napoli earlier this week.

Zola on Yildiz and Ndoye

Now, both Serie A stars have received big praise from Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola, who was asked by Tuttomercatoweb to name the current players who most remind him of himself.

“There are players who have my characteristics, but today’s football is very different from the one I played,” the former attacker said. “Let’s give an example: Yildiz of Juventus is a footballer who has qualities similar to mine, but he is not the only one.

"On Monday, I was in Bologna to attend the match between the Rossoblu and Napoli and I saw Ndoye play, a footballer who has excellent skills, comparable to those I had. But playing in a different position, he has to take advantage of his talent differently.

"I went to look for the ball a bit everywhere and then position myself in the center, depending on the needs of the moment. Today, however, certain players are employed differently: there are no longer old 'fantasists' but wide forwards or false nines.”