A pacy and dangerous performer, Chelsea forward Kalou is a player who has developed greatly since his surprise £9 million signing from Feyenoord in May 2006, and he remains firmly in the Blues' first-team plans. Kalou can play on the wing or in a deep-lying role, making him a versatile weapon.

His Chelsea career started slowly yet in the second half of his debut season he began to impress. That improvement continued during the 2007-08 season when he regularly featured on the left wing of a front three or as an impact sub, a role he was also used in by Carlo Ancelotti.

Kalou, who scored 35 goals in 65 appearances for Feyenoord, was born in the Ivory Coast but failed in a bid to obtain Dutch nationality in order to play for Holland at the 2006 World Cup.

He won the Johan Cruyff Award for best young talent in the Eredivisie in 2005. Kalou joined the ranks of past winners Dennis Bergkamp, Marc Overmars and Clarence Seedorf, as well as becoming only the second non-Dutch player to win the award after Jon Dahl Tomasson in 1996.

Kalou eventually opted to play for Ivory Coast and finally made his debut in February 2007 in a friendly against Guinea. He represented the Elephants at the 2008 Olympics, netting two goals in four games, and at the 2008 and 2010 African Nations Cup.

Strengths: Blistering pace and a willingness to run at players and take them on. Kalou is a perfect player for counter-attacking football.

Weaknesses: Goalscoring. Though he was a prolific scorer at Feyenoord, his ability to find the net appears has not been evident in England.

Career High: He scored a hat-trick against Stoke City in a 7-0 win - a result which helped to ensure Chelsea won the 2009-10 Premier League season. They would win the Double that season.

Career Low: Having his application for Dutch citizenship rejected after an intense media campaign to get him playing for the Holland national team failed. Dutch coach Marco van Basten had urged him to seek citizenship but the long-running saga, which ended up in the courts, was not successful for Kalou.

Style: Pacy winger-cum-striker, happy to take on players and a counter-attack specialist.

Quotes: "Salomon is an important player for this club. He is always well motivated and works hard at his game. Because of this, I'm sure he will become an even more important player for us in the future." Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti, October 2009.

Trivia: Kalou has five brothers and eight sisters.