Gianfranco Zola feels Chelsea target Nicolo Barella must grow even more as a player, if he wants to play for a bigger club in the future.
Barella, who came up through the ranks at Cagliari, made his senior debut for the Serie A side in 2015, when Zola was in charge of the Sardinian club.
And after his loan spell with Como in the second-tier in Italy, Barella has gone from strength to strength by establishing himself as a regular with the first team.
As such, Barella popped up on the radar of Chelsea in the January transfer window, as they aimed to try and bolster their options in midfield to meet Maurizio Sarri’s demands.
However, a move has failed to materialise and Zola feels Barella must grow even more as a player, if he wants to play for a bigger club in the future.
The Chelsea assistant manager also went on to claim that Barella has the ability, potential and desire to swiftly make the transition to being a star player for a top club.
"Nicolo made his debut against Parma in the Coppa Italia [during my time as coach at Cagliari]”, Zola told Italian daily Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview.
“At 17 he had the ability and the personality of a great football player.
“But to play for a big club, he must grow [as a player].
"He does not lack the desire [to make that transition].”
Barella, who has notched up 34 appearances in all competitions this term, has a contract with Cagliari that runs until the summer of 2022 and has attracted interest from a host of clubs.
