Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka Heading Home?

They were supposed to signal a change in the fortunes of Chinese football but if reports are to be believed – and we’ll come to that later – Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka may be back in Europe before they even had chance to visit the Great Wall.

Both strikers came from Chelsea, the European champions, and are world stars and their pay reflects their stature in the world of football.

Anelka, formerly of Real Madrid, Liverpool and Arsenal, was signed in December in a deal that made international headlines.

He was joined in July by an even bigger star in the shape of Drogba. That deal really did lift the profile of the Chinese Super League.

The season has been something of a difficult one with Shanghai Shenhua Football Club languishing near the bottom for the first four months but the arrival of Drogba has seen a change in atmosphere and performances. Slowly but surely, the Blues have started to climb the table.