Nicolas Anelka's moving tale has a happy ending

Simon Johnson
23 Jul 2009

It has taken 15 years and eight different clubs for Nicolas Anelka to feel settled for the first time in his career. There was a time when he seemed to be packing his bags for somewhere new every summer but that is now a thing of the past.

Of course, there have been periods where the striker has enjoyed some highs, including his breakthrough at Arsenal in the late 90s, winning the Champions League with Real Madrid in 2000 and a brief loan spell at Liverpool in 2002, yet it is at current club Chelsea where he is feeling most content.

Not that it was an instant love affair, for when he joined from Bolton for £15million in January 2008, he found a coach in Avram Grant who not only didn't really rate him but questioned why he was bought in the first place.

The 30-year-old France international has also spent as much time playing out wide as he has up front, however last season he enjoyed his best campaign in English football as he scored 25 goals. He also won the Golden Boot for finishing as the top scorer in the Premier League.

There were still question marks in some quarters over whether he would again be moving on at the club's request but that was never a possibility. Anelka certainly can't see himself leaving for many years.

He said: "I am happy at Chelsea. I am very pleased about everything that is going on and also with things on the outside. I don't need to move.

"My last season here was pleasing. It's always good to score goals and more so to finish top scorer. So I'm glad to be here, to play for a big club like Chelsea and that I had a good season."

While his pleasure at last season's efforts are notable, it is nothing compared to his excitement over the possibilities that the next campaign could bring.

One of Anelka's biggest frustrations has been the club's consistent policy to play with only one striker up front, which basically meant that when Didier Drogba was fit, he would be moved out to the flanks. What made the situation all the more confusing for Anelka was that when the duo were paired together, it brought instant results.

Both Grant and his replacement Luiz Felipe Scolari still ignored the duo's potential but Guus Hiddink used them to good affect in his three months in charge last term and the club were rewarded with the FA Cup.

Now Carlo Ancelotti is at the helm and he has made it clear that Chelsea will be playing with two strikers, which is music to Anelka's ears. He added: "When I first signed I thought I would play with Didier up front but they only wanted to play one of us up front. It was a shame because we knew we could play together.

"When we play together, I look for him straight away when I have the ball. I want him to score and the same goes for him. When he has the ball he looks for me when I'm up front."

Such is Anelka's confidence in the new Ancelotti regime that he is also looking to see the Premier League and Champions League trophies sitting in the club's cabinet next May.

He added: "We are capable of winning both titles. Last season we couldn't do it but we will try to do it next season.

"Last year we conceded too many draws and lost games at home, this cost us the title."