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Chelsea FC: Didier Drogba To Play At Least One More Season

ByLou Flavius|

Chelsea FC forward Didier Drogba is well past his best, having recently turned 37, but the Ivorian hit-man insists that he isn’t ready to hang up the boots just yet.

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Drogba — who returned to Chelsea after trying his feet in China and Turkey — already has a Stamford Bridge job waiting for him whenever he decides to retire. The only question lies in what capacity.

The Former Ivory Coast international seems intent on playing another season of football, but it may not be with the Blues, as he would probably want to play as much as he can before calling it quits.

Diego Costa is the obvious choice at main striker, while the talented Loic Remy has proven an able back-up. Next season, the Blues will have the option of promoting loanee Patrick Bamford — who is having a stellar season at Middlesbrough — to the first team.

They have also been linked with Inter’s Mauro Icardi and Palermo striker Paulo Dybala. Either way, Drogba could remain on the fringes, so he may decide to leave the Blues for another season in search of regular playing time.

His return is certainly not as glamorous as his first stint, but he has thrown enough weight around to make a meaningful contribution and keep his legacy intact. Since coming back, the striker has scored six goals for the Blues, probably more than anyone expected.

His display vs QPR on Sunday left a lot to be desired, but he did show that he could still hold up the ball as good as ever, and still commands the respect of opposing defenders.

When asked if he has made a decision on his future, his immediate response was “I have made a decision, yes. And no, this is not my last season.”

On the win against QPR, he had this to say.

"“It’s difficult when you don’t play and then have to go into these kind of games, but I try to give my best.”“I tried to give the best of my physical capacity against QPR, so if the manager needs me I’m always ready.”“That was an important win [at Loftus Road]. We are only looking forward and we just wanted to win to get closer to the title.”“We still have those two games against Arsenal and United still to play, but we try to only think about our game. We are top of the league. They are maybe thinking about us and hoping we make a bad result, but we are more positive that we want to win.”-Didier DrogbaSource: The Guardian"

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While the striker did not elaborate on his future, he did indicate that discussions would take place with his club.

Last week, team manager Jose Mourinho seemed uncertain as to the path his player and friend would take, but has left the deciding up to him.

"“We have to think, we have to speak, we have to know what he wants.”“We have a lot of talks to do. But it’s not a problem. I don’t know if he wants to. There are people who, during their careers, earn the right and the power to make decisions and not wait for others to make decisions for them. What he did at this club for so many years puts him in a great position.”-Jose Mourinho"

Fans would certainly like to see Drogba remain at Chelsea next season, but it would be just as good to see a youth player break into the first team. Whether or not he decides to stay remains to be seen, but for now he’s focused on adding another winner’s medal to his vast collection.

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