5 Players That CFC Should Sell This Summer (Part One) – Didier Drogba

Didier Drogba:

Age: 33 Appearances (Goals): 306 (144) Signed from: Olympique de Marseille (£24million, 2004)

Possible Destinations: AC Milan, Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid and Galatasaray

Transfer Value: £8-15million

Possibly one of the hardest and possibly most controversial decisions I had to make when putting this list together. For months now, speculation has been building surrounding the future of the giant Ivorian.

Many fans are split between the ideas of Drogba leaving the Bridge this summer. Some fans have expressed their desire for striker to stay at the club, whilst others would be happy to see Didier leave as it would allow new and young strikers, such as young Danny Sturridge, to come into the side and become their new heroes.

For years, Drogba has been the main spearhead of our attack and has been the one that we have relied on to score goals. Initially, Drogba took a while to adapt to the English Premier League and his debut season was hampered by a hamstring injury which forced him to miss two months of the season.

Despite this slow start, Drogba has improved season by season and has achieved two Golden Boot awards.  At his time at Chelsea the Ivory Coast captain has scored 144 goals, 95 of which were in the Premier League.

Many fans would agree with me when I say that Drogba has been a valuable player in all three of our title winning seasons. He played a huge role in our historic League and Cup double winning season in the 2009/10 season, bagging an amazing 37 goals in all competitions, including the winner in the 2010 FA Cup Final.

However, Drogba’s form dipped last season showing his frailties and possibly showed signs that he is past his best. The striker managed to only score 13 goals in all competitions. Although this could have been due to malaria or any injuries he occurred during the season, Drogba did not perform to his best abilities even when he was on form.

His failure to link with Fernando Torres has been a big disappointment to both fans and staff at Chelsea. Whenever they were paired together neither showed any communication or passion that we have seen from Drogba before.

The pair had only scored 4 goals between them during the second half of the season, and this failure may have signalled the end of Didier Drogba. Age has also been a key factor in why some fans would want Didier Drogba to leave. The Ivorian will turn 34 next March and some fans would like to see some new and fresh talent emerge to take over Drogba’s position and become Chelsea’s new spearhead.

If Drogba was to leave, then Chelsea would lose a massive gap in their strike force. The strength and aggression that Drogba provides is considered to be irreplaceable. He is our main striker who will guarantee you goals and his presence on the pitch is immense. However, should he leave Romelu Lukaku would be an ideal replacement.

However, were Drogba to leave, then a club would have to pay around £12million  to Chelsea along with Drogba’s £120,000-a-week wages. The possibility of a reunion with the man that had brought Drogba to the Bridge, Jose Mourinho, is on the cards with a move to Spanish giant Real Madrid.

Rivals Tottenham Hotspur have also been reported to be interested, whilst they have been reports that Drogba could be heading to Turkish club Galatasaray in a deal which involves captain Arda Turan moving in the opposite direction.

But his high wage demands may put other clubs off, which could mean that the 33-year old striker may be at the Bridge for another season. Should Drogba leave in the summer, I wish him all the best of luck in the future and thank him for being a superb player.

For the rest of the series click here