No way Jose, what did you just say?

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has astonishingly admitted that he has ‘no striker’ at the club, right before his side’s crucial Champions League last 16 first leg match against Galatasaray – who happen to have a certain Didier Drogba amongst their ranks. Back the Blues at evens to win in Turkey.

It is clear that Chelsea are currently lacking in their striking department, with the likes of Fernando Torres (eight goals in 26 games this season), Demba Ba (three in 18) and Samuel Eto’o (eight in 27) all failing to live up to expectations. But the blunt truth from the manager in particular should always be kept behind close doors.

Whilst believing he was talking in private, Mourinho said: “I have a team but no striker. The problem at Chelsea is that we are lacking a goalscorer.” He then quipped: “I have [Samuel Eto’o] but he is 32, possibly 35, who knows?”

But there was more. If that wasn’t enough to dent the confidence of his current forward lineup, the Portuguese then went on to talk up current injured Monaco star Radamel Falcao, who has 11 goals in 19 this season since signing from Atletico Madrid last summer for a reported £53m.

“I need a striker. Falcao needs a club,” Mourinho said. “He doesn’t have a team. Who wants to play in front of 3,000 supporters? If I was one day to go to Monaco it would be the end, perhaps to prepare for retirement.”

These comments will do nothing to help Chelsea, and could further enhance the possibility of their striking trio’s exits in the summer. But will this also be a blessing in disguise in their attempts to sign the Colombian?

There was some good news, however for fans of the west London club. When asked about current star player Eden Hazard (in a legitimate interview), Mourinho said: “Eden is our boy. We want him to stay for 10 years. We want to build the team around him. He’s a player with the style of football that we want to have in our team.”

That aside, the Champions League match on February 26th with Galatasaray is to focus on Chelsea legend Drogba’s first game against his old side. Perhaps the Ivorian can produce a reminder of what Mourinho believes he lacks. Back him at 2/1 to score anytime.