Former West Ham wonderkid Joe Cole has revealed how Didier Drogba could have played for the Hammers.
Drogba spent eight seasons in the Premier League with Chelsea, scoring 104 goals and winning four titles.
West Ham were one of his favourite opponents, winning 12 of his 16 games against them while scoring 10 times.
Hammers supporters will now be frustrated to read that the club once missed an opportunity to sign him.
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Paolo Di Canio of West Ham United expresses an opinion during the FA Carling Premiership match against Wimbledon at Upton Park.
26 Mar 2000: Paolo Di Canio of West Ham United expresses an opinion during the FA Carling Premiership match against Wimbledon at Upton Park in London. West Ham United won the match 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Stu Forster/Allsport
Joe Cole reveals West Ham’s missed Didier Drogba opportunity
Joe Cole recently discussed West Ham’s interest in signing Didier Drogba with former EFL striker Adebayo Akinfenwa.
Ex-West Ham manager Glenn Roeder (2001-03) told Cole that the club had scouted Drogba while he was at Guingamp.
“I remember talking to Glenn… this is a mad one, bless him, he’s not with us anymore,” Cole shared the story.
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“I remember him telling us years later that he was looking at a player called Didier Drogba in France, who was playing for Guingamp.
“And there are a few other players he wanted to bring in to West Ham, but there was no money.”
The Ivorian forward scored 17 goals in 34 Ligue 1 games in the 2002/03 season, helping Guingamp to a top-seven finish.
The then-25-year-old would have been an unbelievable signing for West Ham, but he joined Marseille instead.
After netting 19 league goals in his only season for Marseille, he joined Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea for £24 million.
One of the greatest players in Premier League history, can you imagine if Drogba had played in claret and blue?
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