Chelsea are believed to be entering into negotiations with Montreal Impact over the future of their former striker Didier Drogba.
The 37 year old Ivorian signed for the Major League Soccer club in July but has expressed a desire to help out at the defending Premier League champions as they suffer their worst start to a season for decades. He sat alongside the new interim manager, Guus Hiddink, with the club’s owner Roman Abramovich during the side’s home win over Sunderland last weekend.
Hiddink, who has come in on a temporary basis until the end of the season after the sacking of Jose Mourinho, is keen to work with Drogba but refused to comment too much on the situation. He said, “I worked with him five or six years ago and I was delighted to have such a professional in the squad. He’s a legend already in this club. The only thing is at the moment is that he’s playing in Montreal. The official process I don’t know but I spoke openly from the bottom of my heart that huge impact players can be key for the club”.
The striker spent a memorable nine years with Chelsea over two different spells, winning the Premier League title four times, the League Cup three times, the FA Cup four times and the Champion’s League in 2012. His personal awards whilst with the London club include the Premier League Golden Boot in the 2006-2007 and 2009-2010 seasons.
His current club are keen to have him back for the next Major League Soccer season and believe that he is contracted to them for another year. They said, “We are doing everything we can to have him back with the Impact in 2016. We are willing to accommodate him. This situation is out of our control”. They also sent a tweet on Twitter saying, “We understand his attachment, but our objective is to have him back for another season”.
Chelsea have endured a torrid start to the defence of their Premier League title, losing nine of their opening seventeen games including four games at Stamford Bridge. They currently sit 15th in the league, just three points clear of the relegation zone. It was that poor form that caused Roman Abramovich and the Chelsea board to sack Jose Mourinho, with the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ relieved of his duties last Thursday leading to the temporary appointment of Guus Hiddink.
It is not yet clear whether Hiddink would like Drogba to come back to West London as a player or as part of his coaching staff, with some members of the press believing that Drogba could be being groomed to take over as manager at some point in the future.