By IANS
London : English Premier League club Chelsea could be hard pressed to keep several of their best players at Stamford Bridge after the departure of charismatic manager Jose Mourinho.
Many of the club’s high profile players now want to follow the Portuguese national out of Chelsea, reports BBC Sport.
Defender Ricardo Carvalho said: “It is a very sad day for me and the team. I had a big offer from Real Madrid but I stayed at Chelsea because of Mourinho.”
And summer signing Florent Malouda added: “I joined Chelsea because of my first meeting with Mourinho.”
Several newspaper reports claim striker Didier Drogba is “furious and upset” at the parting of ways between Chelsea and the manager.
AC Milan are admirers of the 29-year-old Ivory Coast striker and would happily finance a move to take him to the San Siro.
Drogba was Chelsea’s top scorer with 33 goals last season.
Other reports elsewhere claim Michael Essien and Paulo Ferreira, both brought to Chelsea by Mourinho, may also be mulling over whether to stay at the club.
A huge question mark will also hang over the future of England midfielder Frank Lampard, who has already put talks on a new contract on hold and was regarded as one of Mourinho’s most trusted lieutenants in the dressing room.
Lampard has long been linked with a move to Spain with either Real Madrid or Barcelona.