Kerry Dixon doesn't blame Didier Drogba for leaving

Former Chelsea striker Kerry Dixon has admitted that he can understand why Didier Drogba has decided to leave the club.

It was confirmed on Tuesday that the 34-year-old will leave Stamford Bridge in the summer, and Dixon believes that the Ivorian has left for financial gain.

"You can never say it's a perfect time. Didier would have been keen to stay at the club but perhaps he's been offered a more lucrative deal and a new adventure. It's all about what Didier wants in his life. He's 34 and probably wants to do something different," Dixon told the BBC.

"He loves Chelsea and even though a lot of big clubs in Europe would have been tempted, I don't think he'd have wanted to compete against Chelsea next season. So he's looked at one last pay day and if that's the case, no-one can blame him at his age."

Drogba scored the decisive penalty in last Saturday's Champions League win over Bayern Munich.