Villas-Boas - Drogba's crucial - Chelsea boss confident of retaining his senior strikers

Posted Friday, August 19, 2011 by skysports.com

Villas-Boas - Drogba's crucial - Chelsea boss confident of retaining his senior strikers
Villas-Boas: Confident that Anelka and Drogba will stay

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has refuted suggestions that Nicolas Anelka wants to leave the club and is also optimistic that Didier Drogba will sign a new contract before long.

Striker Anelka's current contract expires at the end of this season and there has been no sign of the Blues offering him a new deal.

Fellow forward Drogba's tenure too expires next summer but he is locked in negotiations over a one-year extension.

The recruitment of Fernando Torres from Liverpool in January and the signing of Belgian teenage starlet Romelu Lukaku from Anderlecht this summer have fuelled speculation that the time of both Anelka and Drogba at Stamford Bridge is coming to an end, but Villas-Boas suggests otherwise.

"It's not true," the Portuguese told reporters when probed on whether Anelka wants to leave Chelsea.

The Drogba situation

Villas-Boas gave more details on the contract situation concerning Drogba and explained: "We will (reach an agreement).

"He is one of the most important players and representative players of the club.

"And his willingness to continue is 100 per cent. It will be because of that that we will reach an agreement."

Chelsea started the 2011-12 Premier League campaign with a disappointing goalless away draw with Stoke City on Sunday and will host West Bromwich Albion this weekend.