Montréal Impact underlined their desire to keep Didier Drogba in MLS amid interest from former club Chelsea on Wednesday.
Chelsea interim manager Guus Hiddink outlined his admiration for club legend Drogba in his press conference ahead of the Boxing Day match against Watford. Hiddink’s comments increased the speculation about a potential backroom role for the 37-year-old as part of the shakeup at Chelsea in the wake of José Mourinho’s departure last week.
Hiddink’s comments -- plus the continued rumors about Drogba’s future after he watched the 3-1 victory over Sunderland with Hiddink and Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich at the weekend -- prompted the Impact to reinforce their interest in retaining Drogba’s services as a player for the 2016 MLS season.
We are currently in contact with Didier Drogba and Chelsea FC. We are doing everything we can to have him back with the Impact in 2016.#IMFC
— Impact de Montréal (@impactmontreal) December 23, 2015
Former Côte d’Ivoire captain Drogba is under contract with the Impact through the end of next year, but the Impact admitted the club is in contact with Drogba and Chelsea officials over the possibility of an off-the-field role for the veteran forward.
“We understand his attachment to his former club and his desire to help them,” the Impact said in a statement released via Twitter. “We are willing to accommodate him. But our objective is to have him back for another season, as agreed in his contract. This situation is out of our control.”
It remains to be seen whether Drogba plans to end his 18-month deal with the Impact and MLS early and wrap up his career to join Chelsea in an off-the-field capacity.
Drogba’s decision is a critical one for the Impact given his influence on the club during his short time in Québec. The talismanic forward scored 11 goals in 11 regular-season appearances to propel the Impact into the playoffs. His contributions also sparked renewed interest in the Impact as the season wound to a close.
Those qualities are not easily replaced, but Drogba might find the lure of a return to Chelsea too strong to ignore.
Hiddink did not offer an update on the status of a potential role for Drogba in his press conference, but he did note the potential hurdles posed by Drogba’s deal with the Impact as all of the involved parties weigh their options.
"The only thing is at the moment is that he's playing in Montréal,” Hiddink told reporters. “The official process I don't know but I spoke openly from the bottom of my heart that huge impact players can be key for the club. Other people have to deal with that, not me."
