Didier Drogba dropped in to see his old Chelsea team-mates on Tuesday and the reunion is likely to be the precursor to a return to England before Christmas. The Ivory Coast striker, currently playing for Chinese side Shanghai Shenua, wants to train with a Barclays Premier League club if the Ivorians qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Chinese season ends in November and 34-year-old Drogba will need to stay in peak condition for the tournament, which is to be staged in South Africa starting on January 19. Drogba left Chelsea three months ago having helped Roberto Di Matteo’s team to Champions League victory against Bayern Munich in May.full details inside
Emotional ties run deep and the striker is sure to ask manager Di Matteo first if he can join his former colleagues at the Surrey training ground. Intriguingly, there are suggestions in China that a boardroom power struggle could change the financial landscape at Shenua, which might mean premature departures for Drogba and former Chelsea team-mate Nicolas Anelka.
Mega-rich chairman Zhu Jun has threatened to rein in his funding. Drogba’s visit yesterday was a flying one. He was on the way to the Ivory Coast for the Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Senegal and changed planes in London, where his children are still at school. Yet he made time to call in at the Cobham training complex, which is 10 miles round the M25 from Heathrow.
Drogba is planning to follow the example of David Beckham by training with a top-flight club, even if there is insufficient time for a short-term loan similar to those arranged for Thierry Henry or Robbie Keane.
No comments:
Post a Comment