Chelsea are losing patience with Didier Drogba and are now
prepared to let him leave Stamford Bridge but only on their
terms. After the Ivory Coast striker publicly declared a desire to
move in the wake of Jose Mourinho's departure, he agreed privately
with members of the Chelsea hierarchy to stop talking to the media
about his future until the end of the season.
But Drogba has broken his silence, expressing a desire to link up
with Samuel Eto'o at Barcelona, which has left his employers
fuming. While sources at Stamford Bridge say they have no desire to
lose their best player, they are prepared to open discussions with
Barcelona or AC Milan if those clubs will give them a top player in
return.
Chelsea would tell Barcelona they want Lionel Messi rather than a
fee in excess of £30million for Drogba while they would ask Milan
for Kaka. That, understandably, is not something either club would
be happy to agree to and Drogba will be made aware of the fact, as
well as being reminded that he has three years left on his contract
beyond the end of this season.
But no one, however talented, will be tolerated at Chelsea if they
continue to cause problems. Mourinho probably considered himself
untouchable but a breakdown in his relationship with club owner
Roman Abramovich led to his sudden departure earlier this
season.
Drogba, according to the same sources at Chelsea, promised the club
he would keep his counsel on his future. But in an interview with a
French newspaper this week, he said: "If any striker in the world
were offered the chance to play next to Samuel Eto'o, he'd tell you
that would be inspirational. I love his style, he's unbelievably
quick and has a killer instinct in front of goal."
Having broken his promise and flirted so outrageously with Barca,
Drogba's days at Chelsea would now appear to be numbered.
