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Didier Drogba to the Chicago Fire. I'm not sure how it even started but now we are really getting into absurdity.
Chicago Fire confirm talks with Chelsea's Drogba
Thanks for the big headline Tribal Football. On yesterday's conference call, Chicago Fire head coach Frank Klopas did say all of the following: "Drogba? Of course, yes... There's talks, but would he really come and what would it take?... It's newspapers putting stuff out there... What do you want me to tell you? I just want to focus on my team now... Would I want a player like Drogba on my team? For sure." Thoughts on the absurd after the break.
I'm assuming Tribal Football is using Klopas' "There's talks" as the confirmation that the Chicago Fire are talking with Didier Drogba. When I heard Klopas say that yesterday, the context seemed to be 'yes, there are talks in the media'. The team confirms that Klopas dispelled the rumor.
For those who are looking for a glimmer of hope, it is interesting that no Fire spokesperson is coming forward to put down the flames. Just two days ago, the team wanted to make sure the Michael Ballack rumor was shot down. There's no specific follow-up on the fact that Klopas is being misinterpreted.
Chicago Fire Owner Andrew Hauptman is a Chelsea fan after living a 30 minute walk away from the English club's stadium, Stamford Bridge. You figure Hauptman would be more willing to break the bank for a player that is such a huge part of Chelsea's identity than just a random soccer star out there.
He'll have to break the bank by quite a lot. Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande is reportedly offering Drogba almost $50M over 3 years. Drogba's agent Thierno Seydi said his client is not interested in Chelsea's one year extension offer that is on the table.
This seems pie in the sky but all signings start somewhere. The timing of two Chelsea players being linked to the Fire in the same week is intriguing. If additional intrigue comes out, we'll report. Until then, the Chicago Fire preseason rolls on tomorrow, February 4, with a match against Real Espana at 5:00 PM CST.