Neil Warnock REJECTED £100,000 Didier Drogba transfer while Sheff Utd boss before striker became Chelsea legend

DIDIER DROGBA was offered to Sheffield United for just £100k but was SNUBBED by Neil Warnock, the legendary manager revealed. Drogba, now 43, had a glittering career ending up as one of Chelsea’s most decorated superstars. Warnock, 72, was last in charge of Middlesbrough until he was let go in November. During his spell at […]

DIDIER DROGBA was offered to Sheffield United for just £100k but was SNUBBED by Neil Warnock, the legendary manager revealed.

Drogba, now 43, had a glittering career ending up as one of Chelsea’s most decorated superstars.

Empics

Turning down the opportunity to sign Drogba was the ‘biggest loss’ of Warnock’s career[/caption]

PA

The striker went on to become the king of West London at Chelsea[/caption]

Warnock, 72, was last in charge of Middlesbrough until he was let go in November.

During his spell at the Riverside he reached 1,603 career games as boss, the most in English football.

But Warnock admits turning down Drogba still haunts him.

Warnock explained: “I had a French lad playing for me, Laurent D’Jaffo, and he once rang me and said: ‘Gaffer, I’ve seen player for you in the second division in France, very good, £100k’.

“I said: ‘£100k? It’s a lot for a second division French player.’

“I then said: ‘What’s his name?’ and he said ‘Drogba’.

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“I said ‘we can’t pay £100,000 for a second division French player’.

“But you all know what happened to him in the end.

“I don’t think I could have had a bigger loss than that one.”

Chelsea legend Drogba retired in 2018 at the age of 40.

The powerful striker scored 104 Premier League goals for the Blues and famously scored the winning penalty in the 2012 Champions League final.

He had a 20-year career which took in six different countries and 18 major trophies.