Drogba staying at Chelsea

ENGLISH LEAGUE CUP QUARTER FINAL Blackburn Rovers v Chelsea: Venue: Ewood Park Kick-off: Tonight, 8pm On TV: BBC 1 (highlights 11.55pm)

DIDIER DROGBA has no intention of leaving Chelsea for Italy despite admitting there had been past contact with both Milan clubs. Inter Milan have long been admirers of the Ivory Coast striker, with ex-Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho keen to be reunited with his former player.

AC Milan have also been linked with Drogba but the 31-year-old, who extended his contract in the summer, claims he will not be moving to Italy in the near future.

“I’m sorry but I’m staying here,” Drogba told Tuttosport. “I have just renewed my contract for another three seasons.

“It’s true that in the past there was contact with two big Spanish clubs and two big Italian, sorry Milanese, clubs.

“But now the rumours aren’t true any more and they are without any foundation.

“Who knows, maybe in 10 years: but I will be too old to play and maybe I could go as a coach.”

Drogba has impressed this season under Carlo Ancelotti, who joined from Milan in the summer.

The former Marseille player scored another brace in Chelsea’s 3-0 defeat of Arsenal on Sunday to move level with Jermain Defoe at the top of the goalscoring charts and credits Ancelotti with the Blues’ stunning form.

He added: “Carlo is one of us, a great person, one of the family.

“He arrived full of glory with a serious honours list of European and worldwide triumphs won with Milan.

“He could have brought with him an even more powerful staff, he could have changed or undone or done anything, he could have had detached relationships and only been professionally cool with the dressingroom.

“Instead he talked to us with clarity, simplicity and kindness, almost like a father. He didn’t carry out revolutions, only several Italian style retouches and adjustments.

“And now the squad are flying, in attack we are getting an avalanche of goals and we are really having a ball of a time. Yes, Ancelotti is the best and even he has said we can win everything.”

Chelsea lead the Premier League by five points and are through to the knock-out stages of the Champions League as group winners.

Their penalty shoot-out defeat to Manchester United in the final of Europe’s premier club competition two seasons ago is still fresh in their minds, as is last year’s controversial semi-final exit to eventual winners Barcelona.

However, Drogba believes this could be the year the Blues erase those memories. He continued: “We are aiming to win the English title again after three years and to look to lift this Champions League that we only just lost out on in Moscow.”

Ray Wilkins has defended Chelsea’s record of paying agents over €9.9 million last season by claiming that dealing with players’ representatives has become part and parcel of the modern game. Chelsea rank second in the list behind Manchester City, who forked out over €13.2 million.

It is thought the majority of the money Chelsea spent went on securing new contracts for the likes of Drogba, John Terry and John Obi Mikel.

Wilkins, now Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant first team coach at Stamford Bridge, did not feel the need to have an agent throughout his 24-year playing career but accepts they have now become a prominent part of football.

“I think they are something that are in the game and have been for a long while and we have to deal with it,” Wilkins said.

Frank Lampard, John Terry and Petr Cech were all left out in the 4-0 win over Bolton which secured the Blues’ place in the last eight of the competition, and Ancelotti is likely to ring the changes for tonight’s match.

Ashley Cole is likely to be available after shaking off a hamstring injury and Gael Kakuta may also make his first start for the club.

Wilkins denied that the club were taking the competition, which they have won twice in the last four years, lightly.

“We’d love to be in the final,” he added. “It’s the first competition of the season and it’s one we want to win so we will be going all out to do that.”