What's next for Chelsea's Florent Malouda?

There was a time where the 32-year-old French International could do wrong at Chelsea under Carlo Ancelotti, earning himself a deserved player of the season award at Stamford Bridge.

Now he has been left to lie well away from the first team picture after another shunning from the latest manager at the helm in the form on Rafael Benitez. Some quarters suggest he is still yet to meet the Spaniard. This you would suspect this isn’t true, but the point is clear.

There have been rumours of a move across west London to QPR and this could be just the tonic he needs to prove he is still a footballer worth his salt.

It is certainly not a road that has any guarantee of success with Shaun Wright Phillips and Hoilett proving Loftus Road isn’t always accommodating to help playmakers and wingers produce their football.

Despite this, Malouda is at the stage of his career where he has nothing to lose whilst he is in the reserves at Chelsea. He could take the easy option and look for a large final payday abroad in China or America.

It is clear he still has a lot to offer and if a manager can get him back to match fitness he could prove a real asset to the Premier League yet still and for those fighting relegation they could sign far worse than a potential game changer with the flair and tenacity of Florent Malouda.

All Malouda has to prove now is whether he is up to the challenge of playing to a high standard and plying his trade in one of Europe’s top leagues still.

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