Didier Drogba: Chelsea great hopes club's new owners can 'carry on the vision and passion of the fans'

By Ben Morse and Amanda Davies, CNN

Updated 0829 GMT (1629 HKT) April 22, 2022

Didier Drogba delivers a speech after being appointed as the World Health Organization's Goodwill Ambassador for Sports and Health.

(CNN)Chelsea great Didier Drogba has said he hopes the club's new owners, whoever they will be, will «carry on the vision and the passion of the of the fans.»

In March, Chelsea owner and Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich announced he planned to sell the club in the best interests of «the fans, the employees, as well as the Club's sponsors and partners.»Abramovich's decision to sell the club came after he declared he gave «stewardship» of Chelsea to trustees of the club's charitable foundation. Afterward, the European Union placed Abramovich on its list of sanctioned individuals, while the UK government sanctioned him as part of its efforts to «isolate» Russian President Vladimir Putin following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.Abramovich has always denied being linked to Putin and rejected claims that any of his activities merited government sanctions.Read MoreThree final bids are under consideration to take ownership of the club, and Drogba — who scored over 100 Premier League goals for Chelsea — wants the new owners to prioritize matching the fans' high level of expectations on the pitch. «I think for the new people coming in, I don't know what lessons to give them, but as an ex-player of the club, as a Chelsea fan, we just want them to carry on the vision and the passion of the fans because the fans are, they're still here and also the people who have been working at the club, have done a great job,» Drogba told CNN Sport's Amanda Davies. Drogba became a fan favorite at Chelsea for being the talismanic striker in