With Edinson Cavani seemingly PSG bound Chelsea's attentions appear to
have turned to other strikers, and the latest reports are suggesting
that one of those men is Chelsea legend Didier Drogba.
Drogba: Transfer Truth: 25%
Mourinho's return to the club he brought so much glory to, no so long ago, could soon be followed by another familiar and cherished name which brings about similar sensations of glory and class at Stamford Bridge. According to some, Drogba, one of Mourinho's first signings as Chelsea boss the first time around, could become one of his first again.
There are numerous reports doing the rounds that Chelsea are pursuing their legend in an attempt to conclude his global walk about by bringing him back to his spiritual home. Depending on who you believe, Chelsea have made an offer for him, had an offer rejected, are on the verge of signing him or just still simply expressing their Mourinho led love for the Ivorian powerhouse.
As much as we'd like to see Drogba back in the Premier League and would like to see his love affair with Jose rekindled, the hard facts aren't great. The only solid quote that could be found is Ceylan Caliskan, who is understood to be "an advisor" to Drogba. We're not sure whether this means he's a man in the know or not, but every single publication reporting this story, including the original source (Sky Sports) is quoting him so what we can confirm is that this is all the world has to go on right now:
Mourinho
called Drogba and told him he would like to see him back. However,
Drogba is very happy at Galatasaray and he informed his former coach
that he has no intention of leaving.
If you're the type of person who takes everything on face value, then that would be that. But of course if you were that type of person you'd probably not be seeking out stories with the same headline as this one, so here is our take on it. Drogba may be happy at Galatasaray but we find it incredibly difficult to believe anyone could resist the overtures of Jose Mourinho if he were really after them, especially not Drogba, who we know has a natural and strong bond with the man he won so many trophies with at Chelsea.
The only thing we question is whether or not this call between Mourinho and Drogba was just a little catching up or an actual approach, we suspect a little hint of both. Of course we all know that the transfer rules require any formal approach to go through the club first, and of course Mourinho has no record at all for tapping up anyone like say Ashley Cole, so he wouldn't dream of suggesting that he mixed a friendly phone call with putting the feelers out for the return of his prodigal son.
Drogba Spotted in Chelsea
This story gathered pace quickly after the initial Sky Sports quote, and less than 24 hours ago, The Daily Mirror reported that Drogba had been spotted at Chelsea's Cobham training ground, they also coupled this with some rather vaguely related past quotes from Drogba and Mourinho in which each man mentions either the word Chelsea or the word Drogba. The Mirror article is clutching at straws and the fact that no other paper has picked p the report yet does imply that it should be taken with a rather large pinch of salt.
Should Chelsea Want Him Back?
Drogba is a genuine Chelsea legend, currently in 4th place on Chelsea's all time top scorers list he scored 157 goals in his 341 game career for the Blues, and if you throw in his 86 assists that gives him a goal contributed for every 105 minutes of game time. A world class standard, made all the more impressive by the fact that he maintained it through out his 8 seasons in the Premier League.
He is now 35, but having astutely signed Mark Schwartzer last week Mourinho has shown that he is not against signing outstanding older players if they can add quality to the squad whilst providing time and influence which can benefit younger players in their growth.
It's not like Drigba has suddenly fallen off the wagon either, he has maintained his exceptional attacking record in his travels. In China his 11 appearances brought 8 goals and 3 assists, and for Galatasaray 13 games have returned 5 goals and 6 assists. We believe that if used sparingly he ca still make a valuable contribution to the Chelsea team. His arrival might save Chelsea £53m whilst meaning that the likes of Lukaku will get the game time they need to rise to their exceptional potential.
Our Truth-o-meter
The mutual love between Mourinho and Drogba is unquestionable, as is Drogba's quality, even at 35. We think that if Mourinho were really after Drogba, the Chelsea legend simply would not be able to resist his davances for very long. As it stands the evidence linking the two together is fairly weak even though a Drogba return might make fantastic sense for Chelsea. For this reason we're giving this one a truth rating of 25%, with the same chance that Chelsea will be his destination. If he does leave it's difficult to see him running anywhere but in to Mourinho's arms.
Likeliness of Signing: 25%
Fit at Club: 75%
Drogba: Transfer Truth: 25%
Mourinho's return to the club he brought so much glory to, no so long ago, could soon be followed by another familiar and cherished name which brings about similar sensations of glory and class at Stamford Bridge. According to some, Drogba, one of Mourinho's first signings as Chelsea boss the first time around, could become one of his first again.
There are numerous reports doing the rounds that Chelsea are pursuing their legend in an attempt to conclude his global walk about by bringing him back to his spiritual home. Depending on who you believe, Chelsea have made an offer for him, had an offer rejected, are on the verge of signing him or just still simply expressing their Mourinho led love for the Ivorian powerhouse.
As much as we'd like to see Drogba back in the Premier League and would like to see his love affair with Jose rekindled, the hard facts aren't great. The only solid quote that could be found is Ceylan Caliskan, who is understood to be "an advisor" to Drogba. We're not sure whether this means he's a man in the know or not, but every single publication reporting this story, including the original source (Sky Sports) is quoting him so what we can confirm is that this is all the world has to go on right now:
Mourinho
called Drogba and told him he would like to see him back. However,
Drogba is very happy at Galatasaray and he informed his former coach
that he has no intention of leaving.If you're the type of person who takes everything on face value, then that would be that. But of course if you were that type of person you'd probably not be seeking out stories with the same headline as this one, so here is our take on it. Drogba may be happy at Galatasaray but we find it incredibly difficult to believe anyone could resist the overtures of Jose Mourinho if he were really after them, especially not Drogba, who we know has a natural and strong bond with the man he won so many trophies with at Chelsea.
The only thing we question is whether or not this call between Mourinho and Drogba was just a little catching up or an actual approach, we suspect a little hint of both. Of course we all know that the transfer rules require any formal approach to go through the club first, and of course Mourinho has no record at all for tapping up anyone like say Ashley Cole, so he wouldn't dream of suggesting that he mixed a friendly phone call with putting the feelers out for the return of his prodigal son.
Drogba Spotted in Chelsea
This story gathered pace quickly after the initial Sky Sports quote, and less than 24 hours ago, The Daily Mirror reported that Drogba had been spotted at Chelsea's Cobham training ground, they also coupled this with some rather vaguely related past quotes from Drogba and Mourinho in which each man mentions either the word Chelsea or the word Drogba. The Mirror article is clutching at straws and the fact that no other paper has picked p the report yet does imply that it should be taken with a rather large pinch of salt.
Should Chelsea Want Him Back?
Drogba is a genuine Chelsea legend, currently in 4th place on Chelsea's all time top scorers list he scored 157 goals in his 341 game career for the Blues, and if you throw in his 86 assists that gives him a goal contributed for every 105 minutes of game time. A world class standard, made all the more impressive by the fact that he maintained it through out his 8 seasons in the Premier League.
He is now 35, but having astutely signed Mark Schwartzer last week Mourinho has shown that he is not against signing outstanding older players if they can add quality to the squad whilst providing time and influence which can benefit younger players in their growth.
It's not like Drigba has suddenly fallen off the wagon either, he has maintained his exceptional attacking record in his travels. In China his 11 appearances brought 8 goals and 3 assists, and for Galatasaray 13 games have returned 5 goals and 6 assists. We believe that if used sparingly he ca still make a valuable contribution to the Chelsea team. His arrival might save Chelsea £53m whilst meaning that the likes of Lukaku will get the game time they need to rise to their exceptional potential.
Our Truth-o-meter
The mutual love between Mourinho and Drogba is unquestionable, as is Drogba's quality, even at 35. We think that if Mourinho were really after Drogba, the Chelsea legend simply would not be able to resist his davances for very long. As it stands the evidence linking the two together is fairly weak even though a Drogba return might make fantastic sense for Chelsea. For this reason we're giving this one a truth rating of 25%, with the same chance that Chelsea will be his destination. If he does leave it's difficult to see him running anywhere but in to Mourinho's arms.
Likeliness of Signing: 25%Fit at Club: 75%
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