If José Mourinho is dismissed by Roman Abramovich — and that prospect appeared inconsequential to the Chelsea manager yesterday — his successor’s first task should be to sweet-talk Didier Drogba. The Ivory Coast striker is at ease with his life in London, but, according to those who know him, the manager’s departure might break that spell.

The prospect of a troubled Drogba is unlikely to make Abramovich think twice about a decision as significant as ousting one of the world’s leading coaches — the owner has better reasons than that to take his time before triggering the ejector seat — but it is not to be dismissed lightly.

At 28, Drogba has established himself as one of the outstanding players in the game’s most valued position. With his power, pace and scoring potency, it has become conventional to talk of him as the consummate modern forward. It is hard to know if there is such a thing but only Samuel Eto’o, the Barcelona forward, and Thierry Henry look capable of terrorising defences so effectively when prowling up front alone.

Recently crowned the best African footballer of 2006, ahead of Eto’o, Drogba is head to head with Cristiano Ronaldo in the race for England’s individual honours. Supporters of one would surely not complain if the prize went to the other, and that Manchester United are likely to win the Barclays Premiership title should not tip the balance. It is precisely because Chelsea have been so fitful that Drogba’s form is so remarkable.

He claims that the switch to 4-4-2 has helped by easing the workload, but playing without wingers must also have deprived him of service. What is beyond question is that the arrival of Andriy Shevchenko, which was expected to signal the beginning of the end of Drogba’s Chelsea career, has been the making of him. Twenty-nine goals in 42 appearances is some response.

One more goal — perhaps against FC Porto this evening — will make him the first Chelsea player since Kerry Dixon in 1984-85 to hit 30 in a season. So much has changed that they may as well represent different clubs as well as different eras, but Drogba, gamely, tried to talk up that looming honour yesterday.

“I know how big Kerry Dixon was for Chelsea,” he said. “It would be something great for me to reach his record, but there is no interest for me in scoring if the team doesn’t win.”

Strikers always say that, and some even mean it. What is not in doubt is that Drogba feels he owes a debt to Mourinho, and not just for making him rich. Playing for tiny Guingamp in France five years ago, the forward’s salary of little more than £1,000 a week has risen eighty-fold.

Mourinho is grateful in return for the striker’s self-improvement. “When we bought Didier, it was our vision that he had the perfect qualities to play the English game,” he said. “Year after year, step by step, he is improving and he did that himself.”

Enough to be player of the season? Drogba looked bashful when the question was put to him yesterday. “Everyone is speaking about me and Cristiano Ronaldo,” he said. “But there are players like Michael Essien and Paul Scholes.” Few see beyond Drogba and the Portugal trickster, who both deserve extra credit for overhauling their reputations. Ronaldo had to overcome mindless booing after the World Cup finals while Drogba was even jeered by his own team’s fans in his days as the collapsing Audley Harrison of the penalty area.

Now he struggles on through injury and is renowned not only for vital goals, such as the one in the Carling Cup final, but spectacular ones. His cannonballs against Liverpool and Everton — one left-footed, the other right — will surely figure in the Premiership’s top ten. Both were winning goals.

It is a far cry from the days when Chelsea were looking at more glamorous names, such as Adriano and Ronaldo, both of Brazil, but, as Mourinho never tires of telling his bosses, football is all about being effective. At £24 million, Drogba did not come cheap, but he came largely unknown in England. That signing is cited by Mourinho as yet another reason why Chelsea should think twice before letting him go.

Curbishley’s stick could soon be a carrot

It may be for the best that West Ham United are as good as relegated with two months left of the season because it will take that long to apportion the blame.

Few will escape with reputation unblemished. Not Alan Pardew, the former manager, who set the tone with a lax preseason. Not the players who had already grown fat on the previous year’s success. And not the old board who stand accused of wilfully ignoring the rules in their desperation to sign Carlos Tévez and Javier Mascherano.

The new owners must also have a thousand regrets but perhaps most troubling of all is the extent to which Alan Curbishley, the manager, seems incapable of stopping the rot. Lurching from one glum press conference to another, he has looked like a man being swept helplessly along by an avalanche of problems. Somehow the media’s negativity became a cause of Sunday’s traumatic 4-3 home defeat by Tottenham Hotspur.

No one is claiming that he inherited an easy job but it is scary to think that he was being championed as England head coach. If Curbishley thinks West Ham have had a tough time from Fleet Street, how would he cope in The Sun’s vegetable patch?