Chelsea FC News: Didier Drogba Among Three Leaving Stamford Bridge, Fernando Torres Staying: The 2011-12 Champions League winners from Chelsea know that they are going to have themselves a heck of a fight this coming year in the Premier League. Manchester City is going to be eager to defend its crown, and Manchester United clearly won’t be sitting still after falling just one result shy of yet another title, losing out instead to its “noisy neighbors.” The Blues started to shape their 2012-13 Chelsea roster right after the end of the Champions League season though, as Didier Drogba is leaving, while Fernando Torres is apparently staying.
Earlier in the week, there was worry that Torres would be asking for a Chelsea transfer, potentially to another Premier League rival. The Spaniard was notably upset over a lack of playing time, and that was most apparent in the Champions League Final in Munich when he was not put in the Starting XI. That being said, Torres has taken a bit of a turn in his ways, announcing that he will be staying with the club and will be trying to do more for the team going forward.
Perhaps the news of Torres happily staying at Stamford Bridge could stem from the fact that Drogba is leaving. Drogba is clearly one of the best players that Chelsea has ever had. He had been with the team for the last eight seasons, and he has been one of the emotional leaders and top scorers for a team that has had one of its best runs ever in the Premier League. The brutal truth of the matter is that it was time for the 34-year old to move on to different things in his career.
Drogba definitely went out on a high, though. The striker was the man that netted the goal that saved Chelsea’s Champions League title bid in Munich, a goal that was celebrated with Torres immediately. After scoring 157 goals and logging a Champions League crown and three Premier League titles, Drogba is ready to leave the Blues and English soccer altogether.
So what’s next for Drogba? It is almost certainly going to be a radical move, to say the least. Shanghai Shenhua understandably has interest in the striker from the Ivory Coast. One of Drogba’s best friends and former teammates, Nicolas Anelka is already with that club. Drogba could also be on the move to the MLS, where a number of veterans like Roy Keane, Thierry Henry, and David Beckham have gone in recent years.
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The 2013 Chelsea FC roster definitely wasn’t done being formed there. The team is going to have plenty of money to go out and spend, especially now that it is cutting ties with Salomon Kalou and Jose Bosingwa. Unlike the situation with Drogba, both Kalou and Bosingwa know that they have a large portion of their careers in front of them. Both players were key cogs in the Starting XI for Chelsea in Munich, and both had their roles this year. Kalou only played in 12 games, while Bosingwa had 27 appearances. Both are going to be highly sought after for sure, not only in England, but in the rest of European soccer as well.
The 2012 Chelsea FC transfer rumors are already heating up. Eden Hazard, one of the top young strikers in the world is already being linked to the top Premier League teams with money to spend, and Hulk, from FC Porto, could be joining him at Stamford Bridge if the price is right in the transfer season as well.
