Didier Drogba will stay at Chelsea – chief executive Ron Gourlay

Didier Drogba, Chelsea

Related Links

Teams

Players

Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay has calmed fears that Didier Drogba will leave the club and predicts he will still be at Stamford Bridge come the start of the new season.

The 33-year-old Ivorian had a disappointing season by his standards, scoring only 14 goals in all competitions, and was forced to adapt to the arrival of £50 million signing Fernando Torres in January, with both players struggling to play alongside each other, with the pair taking turns on the bench.

The form of Daniel Sturridge on loan at Bolton has also raised questions as to how much involvement Drogba will have next season, with Nicolas Anelka also fighting for a spot.

However, despite being linked with Real Madrid and Tottenham, Gourlay cannot see Drogba leaving Stamford Bridge this summer.

“Didier is very much a mainstay of the Chelsea team so yes, Didier will be here with us in a few weeks’ time,” he told reporters.

After a mid-season dip, the Blues fought back and came close to the title but it was not enough for Roman Abramovich, who sacked boss Carlo Ancelotti after the final game of the season at Everton.

Gourlay has indicated that he expects the Italian’s replacement to challenge for honours next year.

He added: “Our target is very much to be back competing. Last year was a difficult year, of course.

“However, that’s history now. We will move on. We expect to be competing for all the major trophies next season.

“Let’s not get too despondent. I’m sure a club like ours will bounce back very, very strongly this coming season.”