London’s Not Calling Chelsea Strikers, Home Is.

By: chris | May 14th, 2009

Two rumors which have popped up today are so unbelievable they’re believable – but still didn’t warrant mention in transfer talk. It seems a couple of Chelsea strikers – one who actually plays in London and another merely on the books…but will be returning very, very soon – have developed a bit of homesickness and want to return home.

Alright, one might return home and the other just wants to go back to a place where he spent a year playing football. Essentially it was an incredibly profitable loan.

Didier Drogba will be the subject of many a transfer rumor coming up, some of them involving Zlatan and his BFF in the coach’s box at Inter, others involving Spanish sunsets, more still involving a new career as a submariner. But you probably wouldn’t expect them to include Marseille, as wonderfully as they may be doing in the league this year. And strangely, that’s precisely the case according to a television host he spoke to:

“I met him [Drogba] and can say he really wants to return to Marseille, and that is the right moment to bring him back. He is human, experienced extraordinary moments here, he wants to come back. If he has to finish his career here, he will do it.”

And Chelsea might well cash in on a player the wrong side of 30 who’s been begging out and then retracting since he stepped off the plane in London – not to mention one they may not have for a decent chunk of next year’s Champions League.

Down in Milan Chelsea have another striker with the opposite problem: he’s happy in Milan, Milan aren’t happy with him and Chelsea aren’t happy with his wages. His zero goals in 17 league appearances have Milan wanting to cough up their lunch and that’s about it, which means Guus’ successor will get a Ukrainian striker he neither wants nor needs while Roman will be forced to sell a yacht or two for his salary. But that doesn’t mean Sheva’s unwanted. They’d love to have him back home in Kiev:

“For such a player, our doors will always be open. Andriy wants to continue to play at a high level, and we can give him this chance.”

Sadly, Dynamo might be the best of the lot for Sheva right now. The ability is still there but something certainly is not – I blame the wife.

What’s strange about both – though certainly far from foregone conclusions – would arguably mean the end football at the highest levels for both – unthinkable just two years ago. And I’m suddenly feeling old.