Didier Drogba is a name that still gets plenty of attention in football, especially where Chelsea are concerned. Although the Blues legend departed for Shanghai Shenhua last summer, winning the Champions League with his last kick as a member of the team, his adventure in China was always expected to be a short one.
Now, with the news that the Ivorian's set to sign for Turkish Super Lig outfit Galatasaray, many outlets have decided to describe the transfer as Chelsea 'missing out' on reacquiring him. And while I certainly wouldn't have minded getting Drogba back as cover for Demba Ba and Fernando Torres, I do question whether or not that line of thinking makes sense.
Drogba's time with Chelsea is over. If the club wanted him around for the long run, he'd still be here. Even if letting him go was a mistake, Roman Abramovich and the club hierarchy have demonstrated that they're too stubborn to ever reverse it. An emergency short-term loan move before Demba Ba came in might have been on the cards, but retrieving him a permanent transfer after essentially declaring him surplus to requirements simply isn't how Chelsea operate.
Anyway, I suspect that a return to Stamford Bridge was never in the cards at all for the big man. Chelsea missed out on Drogba last summer, and that's a mistake I doubt they'd have seriously countenanced reversing. But regardless of whether or not the Blues were really in for the 34-year-old, Chelsea supporters -- who saw Drogba score 27 'decisive' big-game goals, according to research by Miguel Delaney -- will be wishing him good luck in Istanbul.
Drogba isn't the only former Chelsea man to be heading to a Champions League team, either: Juventus have recently confirmed the acquisition of Nicolas Anelka.