Chelsea Transfer Rumors: 7 Places Didier Drogba Could Land

When Fernando Torres arrived to Chelsea last winter, many fans saw him as the answer to our Champions League woes. He had had a pretty successful stint at Liverpool, and now it was time for him show some silverware for those goals.

However, by the end of the season it had become apparent that Torres would not work under the current system. He was ineffective, unreliable and most importantly creating a huge puzzle for Carlo Ancelotti of who to start up top.

Often, the decision was the Spaniard and Nicolas Anelka. That left one of greatest goal scorers in team and league history on the bench, Didier Drogba.

Drogba arrived at Stamford Bridge from Marseille in 2004. In his six seasons, he has become one of the most feared strikers in the game. Impeccable skill, unmatched strength and innate sense for the goal has him only second behind Wayne Rooney for most goals in the league in that span.

He also is sixth on the team's all-time goal list while playing at least three less seasons than any of the five above him.

The second half of last season saw Anelka, Torres, Salomon Kalou and Drogba all jockeying for positions on the field.

With speculation surrounding forwards Sergio Aguero, Neymar, Radamel Falcao, Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez all coming to West London, the competition will only get tougher. And in a race where youth seems to be the key to getting ahead, Drogba is left behind.

The sale of Drogba not only makes practical, but fiscal sense as well. The spending that Chelsea has been rumored to do will need some backing. Drogba is still a skilled player and can bring in a nice fee, as well as clear up some contract space.

I doubt Andre Villa-Boas will publicly push Drogba out of the club, but I also think if the Portuguese boss is to get the players he wants, he will do everything he can to help get the Ivorian to where he wants to play.

So as much as it pains me to do, here are some potential places we could see Drogba next season.

Real Madrid

Had it not been for an extra time header from Christiano Ronaldo in the Copa del Rey final, Madrid would have had one of the most disappointing seasons in quite some time.

Over the last two seasons, the club has spent well over €300 million to bring some of the biggest names to the Bernabeu. Last year, they signed arguably one of the greatest coaches of all time in Jose Mourinho to guide this team of superstars to domestic and European glory.

In that span, out of six possible trophies, Ronaldo's head of all things is the only one to have secured any.

Though the team is stacked with forwards, If Drogba were to enter the squad, he could immediately become a favorite up top.

Benzema had an OK season, but Drogba can do what he does at a better level.

Drogba had subpar season goal wise last year partly because he was often forced to drop deep into the midfield to help link the ball to  the top. With players like Ronaldo, Angel Di Maria, Xabi Alonso and Mesut Ozil commanding the midfield, he can focus on what he does best, scoring goals.

Another reason why this seems feasible is the almost father-like admiration Drogba has for Mourinho.

Mourinho brought Drogba to Chelsea and was a huge supporter of him. When Mourinho left the club, Drogba was the most out spoken against the sacking of any of the players. And when Inter brought Mourinho to Milan, there was heavy speculation that Drogba would follow.

Perhaps now would be the time to reunite the two.

Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham finished fifth place last season, six points behind Arsenal and a place in Champions League.

Though they disappointingly will miss out on Champions League next season, they performed well for a club that does not spend tens of millions of dollars every transfer window.

But what really hurt them was something that Drogba can provide, lack of goals. They finished the season with only 55 goals in the league. That put them 17 behind Arsenal as well as having four teams that finished below them have the same amount or more (Liverpool-59, West Brom-56, Newcastle-56, and relegated Blackpool-55).

Their front line was a rotating group, as manager Harry Redknapp tried to find the right combination to help his strong midfield.

Roman Pavlyuchenko had a good season but was a streaky goal scorer going on long droughts. Likewise, Jermaine Defoe also has his up and downs, as well as constantly being dogged by injuries.

And Peter Crouch was not always reliable to finish when expected and struggled against top defenses in the league.

However, the midfield at White Hart Lane has become something to be admired. Raphael van der Vaart, Gareth Bale, Aaron Lennon and Luka Modric were sensational last season, almost combining for more goals than the forwards.

This transfer has been the most speculated about for Drogba since the window opened. Chelsea has seem keen on bringing Modric south to Stamford Bridge, but Spurs have been reluctant to give him up.

Redknapp knows that value of such a good young player and has publicly announced that only cash and a swap for Drogba would be enough to let the Croatian leave.

If the striker were brought to the squad, it would finally give them a reliable target man to become the fulcrum of their offense, opening up more space for the other forwards and already great attacking midfield.

Chelsea has refused to allow Drogba to another Premier League side so far, knowing that competing against him directly would be a nightmare for their defense.

Both teams seem to be well aware that Drogba may be the missing link to help Tottenham on their way to being a real contender in the league one day.

Galatasaray S.K.

Last season, Galatasaray had one of their worst seasons of the past two decades finishing eighth in the league and not getting into the group stage of Champions League. They lost many key players from the previous year's squad and are looking to rebuild.

The former Turkish power house has already signed veteran striker Johan Elmander as well as a few other aging players. They may be looking to link up the two forwards, presenting an offensive front line that would intimidate most defenses.

The move to Galatasaray may not seem like the most glamorous move Drogba could make, but it may also be one of the most practical depending on what he wants.

If he would like to continue playing and get paid well to do it this may be his best option. The Turkish league is well known for bringing players who are toward the end of their career to their teams. It helps fill the stands and brings notoriety to one of UEFA's eastern most member.

He also has the chance to prove that he is truly a great player and not just surrounded by them. At Galatasaray, he will be the most recognizable and accomplished player on downward team.

If he is able to help upright the ship, he could go down as a legend there and one of the greats to ever play the game.

Marseille

When the French colonized Western Africa, they probably did not realize that one of the lasting effects it would have on its self would be a direct pipeline to some of the greatest talent in African football.

Many players from the region came to Europe thorugh the French system. Drogba is no exception.

The Ivorian made his way to Europe first through Le Mans then Giungamp. In the summer of 2003 French juggernauts Marseille bought Drogba for £3.3 million. He would spend only one season there but would net 19 goals in 35 matches before making the move to England.

Seven years later, he looks poised to make a return to his first major club.

Marseille finished second in the league and had an OK showing in Champions League, losing to Manchester United in the round of 16. So the need for Drogba is not immense.

However, they would like to reclaim to title as quickly as possible and a presence like the Ivorian would help them with that.

Their forwards last season were a very effective group especially given their age. Loic Remy, Andre-Pierre Gignac and Andre Ayew all had double-digit goal figures despite being only 24, 25 and 21 respectively.

An experienced partner would do them some good in high pressure situations as well as on the training grounds.

The move has even been commented on by Marseille president Vincent Labrune:

“The question would be whether in terms of salary—not a transfer fee— Marseille have the means to pay Didier Drogba for four years and the answer is ‘yes,’” he said. “Though only if we had some departures [from the squad].”

The French club looks to be quite sure that they would like their former player to finish his career with them.

Inter Milan

Of all the clubs on the list, Inter Milan seems to be the most practical in all respects.

After winning three trophies last season, Inter fans will look at the year as a bust. Unable to repeat as champions in Champions League or continue their streak of five straight Serie A titles will have the club scrambling to fix that.

The Ivorian would be coming to a team that is already a contender in all competitions. If he is not ready to give up his competitive days and still wishes to add to his trophy case, Inter would be a great place to do it.

Last season, rivals AC Milan had former Inter star Zlatan Ibrahiomvich loaned to them from Barca. Though he only scored 14 goals, his size and strength became menace in a league where team defense is preferred to one on one battles.

Drogba can fit a similar role and perhaps even be better at it.

The team is already loaded with talent. Samuel Eto'o, Wesley Sneijder, Sulley Muntari, Diego Milito, Goran Pandev, Esteban Cambiasso just to name a few of the attacking core.

Drogba would find himself comfortable playing along side any of these names and they would make each other much more effective.

The league also is not as traditionally physical as the English game. Drogba has been plagued by injuries throughout his career. At this "advanced" age the hard tackling that is promoted in England will wear his body down quicker.

He would enjoy the freedom of more open play and less one on one wrestling.

Perhaps one of the biggest positives that could come of this would be the pairing of Drogba and Eto'o. For the past decade it has been debated who is the better African forward.

Eto'o has the stats and trophies. Drogba has the presence and dominating ability.

If Drogba were to join Inter, the two together may create one of the all-time great attacking pairs in the history of the game.

Juventus

When the Serie A match-fixing scandal was revealed in 2006, Juventus took the brunt of the fall out. The club was relegated to Serie B for the first time in their history and have never fully recovered. Five years later they finished the league seventh in the table for the second straight season.

In a league where goals are few and far between, Juventus has made them as precious as diamonds. The team has tried multiple pairings with legendary Del Piero, but none of them have seemed to work. They continually find themselves short in the goals for column.

Del Piero is also an aging dinosaur. Once the most admired player in Italy, he is now turning 37 years old and can see his playing days winding down.

Drogba can be a pure scorer, something Juventus has not had for a while. He is someone who can put a late goal in the 90th minute to get that win.

Similar to Inter, the prospect of playing for Juventus puts Drogba in a league where longevity is more likely. Though he may not be the key to them returning to their glory days of the early 2000s, he would definitely help them ascend up the table and become a force to be reckoned with in the league.

Manchester City

Manchester City is the hottest team in the Premier League right now. The massive investment from Abu Dhabi United Group has seen them surpass Chelsea as the big spenders of English football.

After winning the FA Cup, their first trophy in 35 years, they secured a place in Champions League for only the second time in team history.

With the prospects for next year being even greater, they were planning on adding a few more role players to their already stacked lineup.

However a few days ago, City was turned upside down by Carlos Tevez's announcement that he would like the leave the Eastlands club.

With the possible departure of their captain and Golden Boot winner looking, the team will be scrambling to fill a position they thought they had locked up.

Drogba moving to Manchester City may seem unlikely at first, but there are few reasons it seems feasible.

First, his age seems as a deterrent for many, but a team like Man City it could be a positive. The Tevez news shocked the club and Drogba could fill the void while they look for a more permanent and younger replacement.

When that player comes to the club, the Ivorian should be ready to retire and moving him out should not be too difficult.

Second, financially it may be the best choice for Chelsea. Of all the clubs on this list Manchester City is the one that would most likely pay top dollar for him. They are in the most dire of circumstances and are equally open to spending huge amounts of money.

Though Chelsea would not like to see him stay in the EPL, it would be difficult to turn down a huge sum of money.

In the Future...New York Cosmos????

OK, so maybe this one is a little self indulgent, but why would I not like to see my favorite player come to my town?

The Cosmos are still at least two years away from being an MLS team, but if and when they do, they will need a big name signing and Drogba will be perfect.

Just read this article I wrote about the move to find out why, here.

Just imagine: Pele, Chinagila, Beckenbauer and now Didier Drogba.....