Drogba tipped to take Galatasaray's player/coach job

ISTANBUL

Ivory Cost superstar Didier Drogba, aged 25, could shoulder a player/coach role at Galatasaray for a game or two, according to reports.

Ivory Coast icon Didier Drogba could shoulder a temporary player/coach role, according to Turkish media, while Galatasaray is still searching its successor to Fatih Terim. 

Several media reports suggested Drogba could be leading the team against Çaykur Rizespor tomorrow. 

Galatasaray parted ways with coach Terim, who led the team to back-to-back league titles in his third spell at the club, on Sept 24, following a power struggle at the top of the club. 

Apparently, chairman Ünal Aysal and Terim had their problems for some time, but the duo definitely fell at odds following the Turkish Football Federation’s offer to Terim to coach the national team. 

Terim’s assistants, Ümit Davala and Hasan Şaş, stepped down from their duties a day after the sacking of their boss, leaving the group of players to their own devices. 

Galatasaray is linked with many coaches, but the frontrunners are believed to be Italian Roberto Mancini and Belgian Eric Gerets, who has led Galatasaray to a league title in 2006. 

With too little time before the Çaykur Rizespor clash, and possibly next week’s Champions League game against Juventus, eyes turned to 35-year-old Drogba, who has settled himself as a leader in the dressing room and a fan favorite after his arrival in February. 

The former Chelsea, Marseille and Shanghai Shenhua superstar ace gained cult following outside the football pitch and the slogan “Drogba is the solution” (Çare Drogba) was painted on many walls during the summer’s anti-government Gezi protests.