On today’s episode we are joined by one of the most iconic Italians to grace the Premier League. From humble beginnings in Sardinia, Gianfranco Zola was famed for playing the game in a beautiful way. He became one of the rising stars in his hometown which earned him a big money move to Napoli who were led by the God-like figure Diego Maradona.
After impressing in Naples, he moved to Parma and formed a deadly partnership with Faustino Asprilla, challenging Juventus for the Serie A title. However, he struggled for game time the following season under manager Carlo Ancelotti, which opened the door for Zola to make the move to Stamford Bridge. His audacious, entertaining style of play helped ignite Chelsea’s late resurgence in the late 90’s and he became a firm favourite for the blues. He’s also widely seen as a trailblazer who formed English football’s early foreign revolution.
After finishing his playing career back home in Sardinia, Gianfranco moved into management, managing teams such as West Ham, Watford and Birmingham City, often under extremely challenging ownership groups. Gianfranco joins the show and opens up on those challenging situations whilst giving his honest opinion on the current footballing landscape and the state of his beloved Chelsea FC.
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Warning: this episode contains language that some people may find offensive.
Manchester United’s Malaise | Three Up Front
Introducing Three Up Front | How does Arne Slot in at Liverpool?
⚽ Welcome to Three Up Front with Simon Jordan, Graeme Souness and Troy Deeney
John Terry | "I owe Mourinho everything but he still scares the life out of me!"
Callum Smith | “Boxing’s just a popularity contest now… look at Ryan Garcia”
Ellis Genge | “Rugby has a class problem that it NEEDS to fix!”
Michael Ballack | “Alonso’s Leverkusen is great for the Bundesliga and for Bayern”
Jack Wilshere | “Arsenal will win the league under Mikel Arteta… Eventually”
Paul Ince | “Inter Milan was a fresh start for me… I think Rashford needs one too!”
Les Ferdinand | “They cared more about stopping the Super League than stopping racism!”
Leon Edwards | "He used my Dad's death to sell the fight, I couldn't wait to hurt him"
Kell Brook | "I want to fight Chris Eubank Jr, I dislike him more than Amir Khan"
Peter Schmeichel | "I don’t recognise Manchester United anymore, there's no identity!"
Jesse Marsch | “I didn’t want the Leeds job, I told them to keep Bielsa!”
Seb Coe | "If I don’t protect the female category, no woman will ever win a medal again"
UP FRONT WRAPPED 2023
Robbie Fowler | "Michael Owen was fast… but I was the better striker in every way”
Chris Eubank Snr | "I’ve always backed Conor Benn, I think he beats them all"
Ricky Hatton | “I’d rather be loved in my hometown than rich like Floyd Mayweather Jr"
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