LONDON - Didier Drogba's Chelsea future is under the spotlight again after French champions Lyon admitted an interest in the Ivorian striker.
Drogba caused a storm at Stamford Bridge last week when he announced, in an interview with France Football magazine, that he wanted to follow former manager Jose Mourinho out of the club.
Drogba later insisted he was committed to the Blues but would sit down and discuss his future at the end of the season.
The 29-year-old is contracted to Chelsea until 2010 but a return to France could be an option for the striker after Lyon chairman Jean-Michel Aulas admitted an admiration for his talents.
However, Aulas also made it clear that the sale of Florent Malouda to Chelsea in the summer has left Lyon short of an 'asset' to chase someone of Drogba's calibre.
Aulas told Aujourd'hui en France: "Everything is possible in football. Didier Drogba is an exceptional footballer who loves France.
"We had an asset (to make him come) here, Florent Malouda, who was playing for us.
"Unfortunately he has left for Chelsea. If we had to sign both of them, it is maybe beyond our means."
In the meantime Drogba's controversial outburst has received support from team-mate Petr Cech.
Goalkeeper Cech, preparing to face Schalke in the Champions League at Stamford Bridge, said Drogba had every right to express his feelings in the wake of Mourinho's exit.
But Cech says his attitude on the pitch has been first class as Chelsea have turned things around under new coach Avram Grant.
Cech declared: "Didier opened his heart in his interview but the main importance for the players, the club and the fans should be the fact that on the pitch he has always been brilliant and fighting 100%.
"Every player has the right to say what he thinks. For us the most important thing is that he plays on the pitch for the team. You can see that in any game, he is 100% for us and wants to score goals and win and that is the main thing."
Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Rosenborg in the opening Champions League match proved to be Mourinho's last game in charge. Since then Grant has installed Henk ten Cate from Ajax to help Steve Clarke with the coaching.
The changes have been dramatic but Cech believes the team have shown their true spirit with the results they have forged since Grant took charge.
Victory over Hull in the Carling Cup was followed by a 2-1 success over Valencia on matchday two in Europe and they have since enjoyed more success in the Premier League.
Their win over Valencia means Chelsea to go into the Group B game as leaders and Cech insists they still have the stomach for a fight.
Cech declared: "I think in recent games we showed our character and showed to everyone, that even though we are behind in the league, we will not give up.
"We still have plenty of games to play and that is a lot of time. A lot of things can happen. We wanted to be in a better position than we are now but we won't give up and we will chase everyone for points to win the title again.
"The expectation is always the same. We are one of the best teams in Europe and England and we always want to win. We will be chasing all the trophies again.
"It is always better to look forward. That is what we have always done. It is always difficult when you get a change of the manager because it is always a big event and you need to cope with that."
