Claudio Ranieri has hailed Joe Cole as Chelsea's new Gianfranco Zola.

West Ham ace Cole is in talks over personal terms after the clubs agreed a 6.6million transfer fee. 

The Blues ripped Watford apart at Vicarage Road on Tuesday night as Roman Abramovich's staggering shopping spree was on course to hit the 100 million mark.

Ranieri's men strolled to a 4-1 success against their Division One opponents.

And afterwards the Italian boss gave his glowing verdict on Cole, whom he expects to sign imminently, but claimed to be in the dark about Veron.

'I know Joe Cole is very, very near but I don't know anything about Veron,' Ranieri said.

'Without Gianfranco, I need a player who can dribble - and I think Joe Cole is that kind of player.

'In my opinion, he can play in any midfield position from the left to the right, or behind the front two.

'He's not signed yet but I hope he arrives. He's fantastic one-on-one. He's very clever and passes the ball very well.

'I like him when a match is close. He can dribble, pass and score a goal. He's strong and an Englishman.

'When I arrived, I said I'd like a blend of young English players and experienced players. Slowly, slowly, that way is possible.'

Chelsea chairman Ken Bates and chief executive Trevor Birch were both at the game but afterwards refused to discuss their swoops for Cole and Veron.

Bates' only comment was: 'Watford gave us a very good game and I think they'll be a real force this season.'

Mikael Forssell, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Duff and Neal Ardley (own-goal) netted for the Blues, with Heidar Helguson replying for the Hornets in front of a decent 18,629 crowd.

Ranieri added: 'We were fresh tonight and the first half was fantastic. We passed and moved very fast and I like that kind of football.

'I saw Damien Duff grow and it's important that he and Jesper Gronkjaer played very well.'

Watford boss Ray Lewington said: 'People talk about the gap between Division One and the Premiership, but what about the gap between Division One and the top of the Premiership.

'It scared me after 20 minutes tonight. At that point, I thought the game was a slight mistake.'

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