Anelka: I was left to rot by Chelsea
Posted Wednesday, February 08, 2012 by The Sun
His Chelsea saga
When did he join?
ARRIVED at the Bridge in January 2008, a £15million signing from Bolton. Anelka had agreed a deal at the Reebok to keep him there until 2011 but the money was too good for the Trotters to turn down, although well short of the £22.3m that Real Madrid paid Arsenal for him in 1999.
What was his high point?
WINNING the League-FA Cup Double under Carlo Ancelotti the season after he won the Premier League Golden Boot. Signed a new deal off the back of becoming one of three players to win the league with two different clubs.
When did it start going wrong?
ANELKA made it clear he was ready to see out the last year of his Chelsea contract which was due to expire this summer, but AVB decided if he did not want to stay there was no point him being treated like everyone else. It was a very hardline stance.
The Frenchman has had his moments — Arsenal fans nicknamed him Le Sulk — but he seemed to have mellowed with age.
What was his low point?
MISSED a penalty in the shootout that made a nail-biting climax to the 2008 Champions League final with Manchester United. John Terry had missed a potential winner when Anelka smacked the post before Edwin van der Sar saved.
Was he to blame?
NOT really. He was honest about his intentions yet manager Andre Villas-Boas treated him like dirt before getting rid of him and Brazilian defender Alex, now at Paris Saint-Germain.
It was not the normal way of dealing with a key player in a Premier League outfit, even if he had decided to see out the rest of his contract.
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