Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder has revealed that he came close to
signing Didier Drogba during his time at West Ham
The Ivory Coast international is currently the Premiership's top
scorer and has been in exceptional form with Chelsea so far this
season.
The Blues picked Drogba up for £24million from Marseille in 2004,
but his career path could have been markedly different had West Ham
avoided relegation 12 months previously.
Roeder has explained that the London side were close to luring
Drogba away from Guingamp, before their relegation in 2003 saw him
opt to join Marseille instead.
"[European scout] Paul [Montgomery] was convinced Didier would make
it in England," Roeder told The Sun.
"We checked him out three or four times and also watched him on
tapes and everything we saw suggested he had the potential to score
goals in the Premiership.
"I have to say that the Drogba you see now is much more the
finished article than he was then, but he had that special
something you look for in a striker.
"Nobody else in England seemed to be on to him and he would only
have cost £1million, but in the end we weren't able to make it
happen."
Roeder faces Chelsea with his current club Newcastle in the Carling
Cup quarter-final on Wednesday night, with the game from St James'
Park live on Sky Sports 1.
