Chelsea were briefly linked with the signing of Harry Kane over the summer as they looked to upgrade on their striker options.
The Blues were clearly not building with Nicolas Jackson in mind, and after a deal for the England striker proved unattainable, they spent big to bring in Joao Pedro and Liam Delap.
One of the biggest selling points of signing the duo was to bring some physicality to a Chelsea side which had been forced to withstand allegations of being soft under Enzo Maresca.
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This was one of the key factors which made Jose Mourinho’s Blues stand out when he was in charge. All over the pitch, they had physical warriors.
Harry Kane looks on during Pafos FC v FC Bayern MĂĽnchen - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD2
Photo by George Wood – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Harry Kane names Chelsea legend Didier Drogba as the strongest player ever
No one stood out more in this category than Didier Drogba. Former teammate John Terry would love to put Drogba in the current Chelsea side.
His physicality has now been praised by Kane, with the current Bayern Munich forward picking Drogba when asked by GoalIndonesia about the strongest player he could name.
Drogba made his name as the man for the big occasion for the Blues, capping off a tremendous career with the winning penalty against Bayern in the 2012 Champions League.
He would frequently bundle his way through defences to open up goalscoring opportunities for himself, and former Premier League defender Kolo Toure named him as one of his toughest opponents.
Didier Drogba for Chelsea
Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images
Chelsea still searching for their Drogba replacement
It has been over a decade since Drogba’s second tenure at Stamford Bridge came to an end, and still Chelsea are looking for a reliable replacement for him up front.
Gary Lineker tipped Delap to be the best answer to their problems, however things have not quite worked out how he would’ve liked so far.
Injuries have seriously disrupted his start to life at Stamford Bridge, and he currently sits on just three goals for the club.
It remains to be seen whether he will be handed the start by Liam Rosenior against Crystal Palace, or if he will instead turn back to Pedro to lead the line.
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