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Didier Drogba will be offered a coaching role by his former club Chelsea, with interim manager Guss Hiddink keen on having the Ivorian as part of his coaching staff.
Speaking to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, Hiddink said, “I want Didier Drogba on my staff.”
"It’s important to have these club icons working for you. The only problem is that he has a contract in Montreal."
Drogba is currently employed with MLS outfit Montreal Impact, and has a year left on his contract, which will prevent him from returning to Chelsea. The Blues are hopeful that they can aid Drogba in negotiating his way out of the contract, so that the Ivorian can inspire a turnaround of Chelsea’s fortunes from a coaching standpoint.
However, it seems that Montreal aren’t too amenable to releasing Drogba from the contract, tweeting that the rumours were unfounded :
The 37-year-old striker has been linked with a coaching role at Chelsea for a long time, with Jose Mourinho affirming as much last season, saying, “Drogba will be a coach or assistant youth team manager or the main ambassador of Chelsea, or director of sports. There will be a role for him when he wants. He is a player who Mr Abramovich wants at the club.”
Abramovich remains close to Drogba
The club legend was seated in the stands alongside Guus Hiddink and club owner Roman Abramovic in Chelsea’s 3-1 win at home to fellow strugglers Sunderland. With Drogba and Hiddink pictured alongside Abramovich, there was a sense of reunion of the old guard back at Stamford Bridge.
Abramovich visited Chelsea’s Cobham training ground ahead of Saturday’s clash with Sunderland hoping to instill some confidence in the beleaguered players. The Russian billionaire believes that Mourinho’s exit will herald a new beginning and that results will improve quickly.
With the departure of Rui Faria, Silvino Louro, Jose Morais and Carlos Lalin alongside Mourinho, Abramovic believes in the idea of bringing Drogba under Hiddink now or in the summer as part of the coaching staff at Chelsea.
Although Drogba spent last season playing second fiddle to Costa, his absence has in many ways made an impact on the team this term. Drogba acted as a mentor to the players and Eden Hazard who is yet to score this season had credited the former Chelsea striker in helping him produce the performances that helped him win PFA’s player of the season last year.
After what has happened in the last few days, Chelsea fans would now feel that old school reunions are often more fun in theory than in reality.
