 He won the 1996–97 Coppa Italia at Vicenza, defeating Napoli 3–1 on aggregate in the final, and in April 1998 played in a Cup Winners Cup semi-final against Chelsea, where his performances inspired the English Premier League club to sign him for £3.5 million in August 1999.He arrived as, according to his manager, Gianluca Vialli, the 'Italian Ryan Giggs', but struggled to live up to the tag and in four years made only a handful of appearances.He made his Chelsea debut as a substitute on 21 August in a 1–0 home win against Aston Villa, replacing compatriot Gianfranco Zola for the last three minutes.