Last season's Premier League Golden Boot winner, Nicolas Anelka has managed to up his game further under the tutelage of Carlo Ancelotti.

The French international finished the 2008/09 campaign with 19 league strikes to his name, one more than Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo, but this season has increasingly turned provider as Didier Drogba weighs in with the lion's share of goals.

That is not to say Anelka hasn't been hitting the net, chipping in with six goals in as many games when Drogba was away at the African Nations.

The forward became Avram Grant's first signing when he completed his transfer from Bolton in January 2008.

He signed a three-and-a-half year deal and his reported fee meant more money had been spent on transferring Nicolas over the course of his career than on any other player in football history.

In total, the 28-year-old netted 23 times in his 60 games for the Lancashire side, since signing from Turkish club Fenerbahçe in August 2006.

Nicolas began his career at Paris St-Germain, before making a move to Arsenal as a 17-year-old in early 1997.

At Highbury, the youngster demonstrated his explosive pace and finishing ability, helping the team to the Double in 1998, scoring in the FA Cup final victory over Newcastle.

A year later, Real Madrid offered £23 million for his services, enough to tempt both Arsenal and Nicolas to accept the bid, and in his only season in Spain, he claimed the Champions League trophy, again playing in the final as Madrid ran out 3-0 winners over Valencia.

After just 12 months at the Bernabéu, Anelka returned to Paris with St-Germain, and in 18 months scored 18 goals before a loan spell at Liverpool under fellow Frenchman Gérard Houllier.

Although not an automatic choice at Anfield, Nicolas impressed with his work rate and creativity, now a main asset of his game at Stamford Bridge. Houllier later admitted letting him leave Anfield was an error of judgment, and instead came a permanent move to Manchester City.

At City, Anelka found the net regularly, notching up 46 goals during his two-and-a-half year stay. A penalty, both won and scored by him in October 2004 was responsible for Chelsea's only league defeat in our first championship-winning season under Jose Mourinho.

Nicolas's time at Fenerbahçe was equally successful. He averaged a goal in just over every three games during his spell there, and his form remained consistent at the Reebok Stadium.

Nicolas was a key member of the France side that lifted the 2000 European Championship and part of the squad that played in Euro 2008, although he started just once and came on twice as France fell well short. Provided he is fit, he will be in the 2010 World Cup squad.

Upon transferring to Chelsea, he found both game time and goals hard to come by, contributing two in his first half-season, largely playing second fiddle to, rather than alongside Drogba.

It will, unfortunately, be for another substitute appearance that Nicolas's first five months at Chelsea will be most remembered. Entering the Champions League Final in Moscow in the 99th minute, it was his sudden death miss that ended the penalty shoot-out and sent the European Cup to Manchester.

He made amends in 2008/09, eventually linking up with his Ivorian team-mate under Guus Hiddink, returning to goalscoring ways after a two-month drought and earning his first silverware in England since the 1998 Double.

The dream for further trophies remains very much alive in the early stages of 2010.