After keeping mum on the topic for several days, Chicago Fire head coach and director of soccer Frank Yallop addressed the club’s pursuit of former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba.
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"I haven’t said much before this," Yallop said Monday after training, "but obviously it’s come out now. We want to resolve it quickly. … It’s a big decision for the player and his agent and all the things that go along with that, because he has options. We’re trying to convince him that it’s a great move and bring him here and all those things. We’re hoping that it works out. I’m hoping within a few days, we get this resolved.”
Yallop's contributions came on the heels of clarifying comments provided on Twitter by Chicago Fire COO Atul Khosla:
Drogba, a two-time African Footballer of the Year, last played for Chelsea during the 2014-15 season, during which he helped the team win the Premier League. His 164 goals in all competitions rank fourth in the club’s history.
Montreal Impact also have acknowledged talks with the Ivorian superstar. However, Drogba’s rights belong to Chicago through their Discovery List.
“We’ve got a discovery on him,” Yallop said of outside interest. “You can’t stop people doing what they want to do. I just know that we’re talking to the player. We’re hoping that it works out. Again, I’m not going to comment on what other teams are doing. For us, we have the discovery, so something will happen from that.”
When exactly a move will happen is undetermined, but Yallop would prefer sooner than later. At the same time, he said, “It’s hard because it’s a big move for him.” At 37 years old, Drogba is nearing the end of his career, so his final moves as a professional player are important ones.
Even with the rights, Yallop knows the decision is ultimately up to Drogba. “He’s got to decide that he wants to make the move.
“I’d like to think that we can offer him a great home, great city, great fans, all the things that go into that, lovely stadium, great training facility, all those things that I think that a player thinks about,” Yallop said. “I think he’s been to Chicago, and he’s been to the city, so he knows it. It’s a fantastic sports city. I’d like to think that we can really use that as leverage to get him here.”
As talks continue, Yallop knows that getting Drogba could be big for the club’s fortunes. Center forward remains one of the top needs, as the Fire rank first in MLS in shots per game but 18th in goals per game. But, as Yallop noted, there’s also much more to it than just his on-field talent.
“What he will bring, if we can get him, to the team will be -- a lot of it’s not just on the field but it’s fans, belief in the locker room, which is huge,” Yallop said. “Let’s hope we can do that.”
