Drog denies quit talk

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has told the club he will discuss his Stamford Bridge future at the end of the current campaign. But, in a massive climbdown, he now regrets making his views public.

Drogba declared: "On reflection, I regret making the comments I made in a recent interview public at this time.

"I am a Chelsea player and will be 100 percent committed and supportive to my manager, my team-mates and the club.

"I will not be discussing my future any further until I meet privately with the club at the end of the season."

The statement came after a day in which Chelsea were on the back foot over the player's remarks.

The club pulled him out of a press launch for a charity song on which he and team-mate Michael Essien had contributed backing vocals, insisting they did not want a positive cause to be overshadowed by questions about his future.

Both players were both due to promote an anti-racism song called 'Skin' with singer Ian Wills directly after Grant's pre-match media gathering for their away game at the Riverside.

But fearing Drogba would be quizzed incessantly over his interview, Chelsea removed him from the line-up leaving Essien and Wills to promote the single without him.

The club are hoping the player's climbdown, almost certainly the result of a meeting between Grant and Drogba after training today, will go some way to quelling any further dressing-room unrest.

Grant had earlier said: "I have not seen him yet. I need to do that first. It is internal business.

"I cannot tell you anything until I speak with him. Basically I don't like to speak about players in the paper, I like to discuss it with them.

"I have read many things that were not true, because I was on the inside, about problems in the dressing room.

"Now you know there was no problem in the dressing room until now and I hope it will continue like that. This attitude has brought us good results in a very difficult time.

"I am very happy with the atmosphere and the attitude of the players until now and I am sure that it will continue."