Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Didier Drogba has told Chelsea he does not want further talks on his future until the end of the season, leaving it ever more likely that the 34-year-old striker, who has been such a key figure in the club's two semi-final wins over the last six days, will leave for nothing in the summer.
Drogba has rejected a one-year deal and there have been no further talks to resolve the situation, prompting the player and his representatives to decide that they will wait until the end of the season to make a decision. By then Drogba is expected to have fleshed out a number of offers from across Europe, Major League Soccer in the US and in China.
The striker, who has been at Chelsea for eight years, is convinced he can play on at a high level into his late 30s because his professional career began relatively late. It is only 10 years since he first played in the top flight in France, having signed for Guingamp.
So far the club have refused to offer Drogba, the match-winner against Barcelona on Wednesday, anything more than a one-year deal. Ideally, Drogba would like another two years at Chelsea and then make a lucrative free-agent move away from the Premier League.
As it stands, he will be a target for the likes of Tottenham and potentially Liverpool should he stay in the Premier League. He has decided that he will assess his options after the season finishes, possibly with a Champions League final, and before his contract runs out at the end of June.
Under Andre Villas-Boas the plan was that Drogba would leave in the summer and while that is still the most likely outcome, the player's performances of late have shown how hard he will be to replace. His goals against Spurs at Wembley last Sunday and Barcelona took him to 155 in 336 appearances, fourth on the all-time list of Chelsea goalscorers.
Drogba's display against Barcelona drew criticism for the amount of time he spent on the ground and complaining to the referee about challenges. He said after the game that one kick to his groin from Carles Puyol had given him cause for concern. "I think my wife would have been worried about that one," Drogba said.
Isolated in attack and charged with holding the ball up on his own, Drogba said that it had been a difficult, although rewarding, evening. "Every time I got the ball I looked up and the goal seemed really far away, like on the M25," he said. "It's quite difficult to play against them. They are a really good team."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments