If Gianfranco Zola is half as good a manager as he was a player, then West Ham United fans should expect some exciting times.

Zola is regarded as one of the finest players to grace the Premier League and was voted by Chelsea fans as their greatest player during his successful time at Stamford Bridge between 1996 and 2003.

The diminutive striker started his career in Italy and brought flair, a repertoire of tricks and remarkable goals to England's top flight, helping Chelsea become one of the major forces in the country.

His audacious back-heeled volley goal for the Blues against Norwich City was one of his many memorable strikes.

It wasn't just the silky skills that made Zola universally loved by football fans - people admired his enthusiasm, professionalism and humility.

During his glorious time with the London outfit, Zola won the FA Cup, League Cup, Community Shield, Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Super Cup.

Zola was awarded with an OBE - Order of the British Empire - for his services to British football and charity work in a special ceremony in Rome. He also claimed the annual Senatore Salvatore Mannironi prize for his work in raising the profile of his birthplace Sardinia.

He was unveiled as the new West Ham chief in September 2008 to replace Alan Curbishley and becomes the Hammers' fifth manager in seven years.

Zola began his coaching career with the Italian Under-21 side as head coach Pierluigi Casiraghi's assistant two years ago after hanging up his boots with Cagliari.

The former Chelsea team-mates guided the youngsters to this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing, where they reached the quarter-finals.

And Zola left the Azzurri in good shape. At the point of his departure, they just needed to beat Israel over two legs to qualify for next June's European Under-21 Championships in Sweden after winning their qualifying group in style.

West Ham enticed Zola back to the Premier League hoping he can make the kind of impact he made at Chelsea - this time from the dug-out.

The 42-year-old Italian's first move was to appoint former club-mate Steve Clarke from Chelsea as his new number two.

Clarke is regarded as one of Europe's top coaches and Chelsea were reluctant to lose his services.

Zola may not have much managerial experience but his superstar status and firm belief that football should be played in an attacking, exciting manner is set to make him a hit on the Upton Park terraces.