TheSportsCampus

A whirlwind 24 hours at Chelsea have taken another dramatic twist after FIFA revealed that Didier Drogba has made a special request to leave Shanghai Shenhua on a short-term loan deal outside the transfer window, with the Blues linked with a sensational swoop for their ex-player. Drogba left Stamford Bridge in the summer in amazing circumstances, landing the club an impressive FA Cup and Champions League double, even scoring the decisive penalty in the European Cup final against Bayern Munich.

The 34 year old's intentions are solely to prepare for the African Cup of Nations in January as the Chinese Super League season has come to an end. Liverpool were recently linked with a shock swoop for the Ivorian but it seems that Chelsea's prolonged struggle with Fernando Torres could lead to the former Marseille man returning to South-West London. Even if FIFA do allow the transfer to take place, Drogba's stay will be restricted to only a few weeks during December and January before he joins up with the Ivory Coast squad.

FIFA released a statement regarding the issue, which read: "We can confirm that the player, Didier Drogba, has submitted a request for authorisation to be registered outside an open registration period for a club on a loan basis. Our services are currently looking into the matter."

Roberto Di Matteo's sacking will have little impact on the situation as the transfer dealings are largely out of the manager's control at Chelsea and the Italian's replacement Rafa Benitez is also likely to have limited say on personnel. The surprising lack of options in the centre forward position has led to the likes of Radamel Falcao, Edinson Cavani and Loic Remy being linked with a January move to the Bridge, but it seems that the Blues are waiting for their ex-legend to swoop in like the phoenix and save their season.