With the end of the Premier League season the usual purge of squads is being executed by managers, owners and players wanting change.
Amidst the flurry of departures has been a couple of important revelations. On one side of the spectrum lies Didier Drogba, West London’s hero and a household name in every nation that has footballs.
The other end of the scale is Emile Heskey, who was released by Aston Villa after a nightmare season.
Drogba is on form and flavour of the month, with over 150 goals for Chelsea since 2004. Although only 34 years old he will be on a lot of manager’s hit lists for the frenzied summer transfer period, even though rumours have him as going to China’s Shanghai Shenhua.
Then take Emile Heskey. Heskey is the same age as Drogba but the two couldn’t be more different; compared to Drogba’s goalrush, Heskey has only managed to score two goals since the start of 2011. It’s not even easy to excuse this by saying he’s on a goal drought, with only 15 goals in 113 appearances.
Heskey is a workhorse, he is the definition of a team player. He isn’t a star striker, in fact he has often come under ridicule for his lack of flair and aplomb on the pitch. The public is divided on him, he’s either loved or hated. Either way, he’s been the butt of many jokes, not least for only scoring seven times in 62 appearance for England.
Drogba the late bloomer is on the direct line to stardom, having already won every football trophy available in the Premier League, having more football medals then most players, as well as being the key player in Chelsea’s recent – and first – Champions League final. Whoever signs him will expect trophies, and he has the skills to bring them home providing the team is right.
After glory days in his youth, Heskey’s now a stalwart on the pitch – part of the team, not the headline-maker. The kind of player that if they were not playing, the fans wouldn’t be calling for him to come on and save the day.
Also, perhaps most importantly, Heskey will not be hard to replace. Aston Villa will be able to sign a striker who will provide them with the goals and will work some magic in the team. They need a Nikica Jelavić, who will galvanise the squad and inject some life into the club.
Drogba will be more difficult to replace. In his eight years at Chelsea he has slowly become the fundamental piece of the puzzle, always starting or on the bench, the player to bring on during the last half an hour of a difficult match or to attack from the beginning. In other words, he’s practically irreplacable.
Aston Villa have the pick of the litter, and the time to rebuild a squad.
Chelsea need another Drogba, and it won’t be long before the expectation turns to Torres once more.
Image Rights: Ben Sutherland
