Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola has a "dream" he will one day return to London and manage the English champions, he told Qatar World Cup officials on Tuesday.

"My dream, let us say my ambition, is to be Chelsea manager some day in the future," said the Italian, widely recognised as one of the best players ever to have appeared at Stamford Bridge.

But he added: "However, I realise that I need to improve as a manager if I want to get there."

His admission comes at a time of fevered speculation surrounding the current Chelsea coach, Jose Mourinho.

The Portuguese is under massive pressure because of Chelsea's miserable start to the season, which has seen them lose six times in the Premier League already.

They currently lie 15th in the Premier League, already 14 points behind leaders Manchester City.

Zola was speaking to officials at Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the body responsible for organising the World Cup finals in 2022, which will be held in the Gulf state.

The 49-year-old, who now manages Al-Arabi in the Qatar Stars League, played for Chelsea 229 times between 1996 and 2003.

During his time at Stamford Bridge, he helped the club win the FA Cup in 1997 and scored the winning goal in the 1998 European Cup Winners' Cup final against VfB Stuttgart.

He also helped Chelsea win the League Cup in 1998 and the FA Cup again in 2000.

In 2003, Zola, who went on to manage London rivals West Ham, was voted Chelsea's best-ever player by supporters.

Zola left Chelsea in 2003 just as the club was taken over by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.