Zola: money won't guarantee success

"In football, you need time, you need patience. I am sure though, that if Mr Abramovich hasn't got the background, he will surround himself with players who know the game."

Zola admitted his sadness at leaving Chelsea, but revealed the new challenge offered by Cagliari has made him "revitalised".

"It's a long story," he said. "I want to try a new experience. I want to go back where I started.

"I feel bad. I feel sad. Chelsea is the place where probably I received the most satisfaction of all, it's the place that made Zola so important football-wise, it's the place where I received everything I was first dreaming of when I first started playing football. "I'm not going to get anything like that anywhere, but even the best things have to end. I'm delighted because in the last year I've given satisfaction to my supporters - and I've received satisfaction from them.

Zola added that he did not blame Chelsea for the way in which the two parted. "It has been painful, and will be painful in the next few months, no doubt about that but I am determined to make my choice a good choice.

"I had offers but I was not thinking of leaving Chelsea, so I put all the offers on standby. Unfortunately Chelsea were going through a bad situation ( financially) and we couldn't find an agreement.

"The thing has gone on and on until 1 July when my contract expired. I had to do something - I couldn't keep people waiting as it would have been disrespectful for them, so I decided to go.

"There is no blame for Chelsea. They had problems more important than renewing my contract so I have no reason to say anything about this club that has been so important for me and my family. I will have only good memories about it. Unfortunately the renewal of my contract happened in a bad moment. But I feel revitalised because the idea of putting myself again on the line, on the edge, makes me feel good and maybe I can squeeze something more from my old body," he added.

Zola listed his most treasured memory as winning the FA Cup at Wembley in 1997, when Chelsea beat Middlesbrough 2-0.

"I have always said it was something special and I stick to it," he added. "Winning at Wembley and the day after they put us on a bus and we went on the King's Road and found so many people outside it was something incredible."

Zola said the worst moment was losing the 2002 FA Cup final defeat to arch-rivals Arsenal, although even then he found positives. "We came back and there were still supporters there (outside the ground). That shows a lot of respect for sportsmanship.

"The good moments cover the bad ones."