Didier Drogba wants to remain part of Chelsea ‘family’ after this season

Didier Drogba after receiving the Football Writers' tribute award at the Savoy Hotel in London.

Didier Drogba wants to remain part of the Chelsea “family” past the end of the season.

After receiving the 2015 Football Writers’ Association Tribute Award in London on Sunday night, Drogba said: “When you have achieved so much and won so many trophies like we have done in the past 10 years, that creates something special. I hope, and the club makes me believe, I am part of this big family, so we are going to find the best thing for both of us to promote the club in the best way.”

The Ivory Coast forward returned to Chelsea during the summer after spells with Shanghai and Galatasaray but has seen nothing confirmed when his current deal expires.

However, the 36-year-old indicated his plans very much remain with Chelsea, either on or off the pitch.

He continued: “When I left this club the first time I was saying I had done everything I wanted to do but I think now that I did not do everything. I think there is more to do.

“I love this club and would love to be part of this club for the future, with the new players.”

Drogba started the FA Cup fourth-round tie against Bradford City, which produced one of the competition’s major upsets when the League One side came from 2-0 down to defeat the Premier League leaders 4-2 at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea will want to put that defeat quickly behind them and have an early chance to do so on Tuesday in the Capital One Cup semi-final second leg at home to Liverpool with the tie poised at 1-1.

Drogba said: “Everybody was disappointed and of course we are not proud of what happened but the good thing is in two days we have another game, so we have to focus on this game and try to play better than we did at the weekend.”

Of the FWA award, Drogba added: “I am really proud for this award, in the list of previous winners there are a lot of players whom I really respect and grew up trying to reach their level, so for me this is a great honour. When I came to England, things were difficult, there was the language barrier and culture change.

“With time we managed to learn more from each other and today I am really happy that the football writers not only understand me a lot on the pitch but have also helped me with my foundation work.”

The Chelsea manager, José Mourinho, who first signed Drogba from Marseille for £24m in 2004, wrote a tribute to the Chelsea striker in the FWA event programme.

Mourinho wrote: “Throughout my career I have always refused to say which is my favourite player or the best person, because so many have given soul and blood to play and to fight with me, but if I have to choose one who represents all the good things you want in a player and a man, I think in this moment I would choose Didier.

“I know what he means as a player and as a person. That is why this combination of the player and the person is so amazing and I can say that he is a phenomenal person.”