Didier Drogba is a legend of Chelsea and has just retired. Chelsea must find a place for him in the club before he goes elsewhere.
Chelsea has not done a very good job at making room for their legends. Gianfranco Zola has only just returned after a topsy turvy managerial career. John Terry and Frank Lampard were ready to coach right away so both went elsewhere. Michael Ballack is in the wilderness being witty somewhere.
Didier Drogba can now add his name to that list after a long and successful career. And while there are some circumstances for other legends that prevented them from joining Chelsea again, Drogba avoids most of that.
Drogba never really showed the same interest in coaching as Lampard and Terry. So while it would not be unsurprising to see him manage somewhere someday, for now it seems like that may not be a priority. Drogba was part owner of the last club he played for, Phoenix Rising, which opens up more interesting possibilities.
Drogba could very easily slide into some business sided role or even the technical director position. He would not be the most trained up option for the director role and there is also the question of Ballack to go with it.
Ballack has been linked to the technical director role virtually since Michael Emenalo left. If he were actually going to get the role, he would have it by now. Marina Granovskaia has been fulfilling the role since then and it does not appear she is ready to let that power go yet.
There is a slim chance that the club has been waiting for Drogba and he is surely going to be linked to the role at some point in the near future. Given how much he does outside of football (and within) with businesses and charities, he could do the role. That is, of course, if there is even a role to be had.
Regardless, Drogba is far too vital of an asset to let go completely. He could fulfill a number of roles at Chelsea and likely excel at them. More than any other club he has played for, he feels a special connection to the blue kit and would gladly take some sort of position. But Chelsea must offer it.
History shows that Chelsea has not done too well at making a spot for their legends. A club like Chelsea has little margin for error but there are plenty of roles (real and invented) that the former players could fulfill. It is merely a matter of packaging it in the right way to the players’ strengths outside of the game.
Drogba (and Ballack) would gladly take almost any role at Chelsea if it were built for them. Chelsea, for their part, needs to get creative with these roles and bring in the old guard. The shadow of these legends looms large and the Blues will not want to see more go elsewhere for their opportunities. There is a way, but only if the club allows it to be so.