Didier Drogba Can Still Be an Asset to a Big European Club, How About Barcelona?

While Barcelona will be looking to enhance their scoring options this summer, there's an available striker at Chelsea in Didier Drogba who would prove to be an excellent addition to a frustrating frontline at the Nou Camp.

Let's get the first question out of the way: If Didier Drogba is good enough for Barcelona, then why is his time up at Chelsea? Quite plainly, Barcelona need a backup, an alternative and someone to call off the bench when they meet teams who are going to frustrate them. Chelsea, on the other hand, need a goal scorer in his prime who will get them 25 league goals a season.

It's a trend, perhaps a sad one, but a trend, nonetheless, for aging players to "explore" new territories beyond the big European leagues. Blank cheques are certainly the order of the day when it comes to those looking for somewhere to retire quietly.

Where American athletes choose the sunnier states of Florida and Arizona prior to calling it a day, European-based footballers are looking to the Eastern European, Asian and, to a lesser extent, American markets. But every one of the high-profile players to make that move in recent years still had something to offer European football.

Didier Drogba seems likely to pair up with his former teammate Nicolas Anelka in China. Meanwhile, Barcelona will be looking to add more firepower to a frontline that has not been able to do the business consistently this season.

The interesting situation with Barcelona is that they'll be looking for a goal scorer, but not necessarily 20 goals a season. They want a player who can give them a different approach when teams park the bus, but not a player who will demand to play every game.

Lionel Messi already occupies that central position in the Barcelona starting XI, occasionally dropping deeper to make room for Alexis Sanchez. David Villa's natural position is now on the left flank.

Barcelona definitely lost a dynamic to their attack when Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Samuel Eto'o were shown the door only 13 months apart. It's a dynamic that can certainly be filled by Didier Drogba—a powerful frontman able to disrupt and unsettle defences.

At 34, the Premier League is starting to highlight the lack of legs Drogba has for an entire 38-game season. But Spain could still prove to be an excellent option, and one which could certainly offer another big trophy before he finally calls it quits.

Some will argue that his age is too great a negative for team like Barcelona to carry. Real Madrid moved on Raul and Guti to make room for their younger Galacticos, so why would Barcelona pick up a veteran like Drogba when they boast their La Masia academy? Because Drogba adds an abundance of experience to a team looking to fuel their next generation of youngsters.

For all his powers as the best player in the world, surely players such as Didier Drogba or Raul are better examples to learn from than Lionel Messi, who, at the age of 24, is still learning the game himself.

Any title-winning side needs a few older heads in the squad—a good handful—and alongside Carles Puyol, Drogba fits the bill.

It was hugely disappointing to see Thierry Henry disappear into the unknown and noticeably less-covered American league, and Samuel Eto'o is fooling no one by trying to play up the Russian league. But Drogba could show why there is still value in veteran players on big European stages.