Former Chelsea midfielder, Michael Essien has failed to find a club this summer after Panathinaikos released him along with three other players in June 2016. But now the midfielder is on his way back to football. Australian side Melbourne Victory is on the verge of signing the player for their upcoming season in the A-League which is scheduled to start in October
If reports from The Herald Sun are to be believed, the Ghanaian international is all set to sign for the Australian club with just personal agreement remaining to be finalised. Without a doubt, the move will turn out to be one the most prized captures in the club’s history.
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At 33, the ex-Chelsea star is surely past his prime, but his box to box play can fetch profitable dividends for the A-League side. The Victoria-based club was founded in 2004 has been competing in the A-League since its’ inaugural season. Also nicknamed ‘The Blues’, the club have been crowned champions three times and is the most successful club down under.
Essien has spent nine years in the Premier League with ‘The Blues’ of England, Chelsea, and achieved a lot with them. When the London was undergoing a major overhaul under their owner Roman Abramovich, Essien’s £24.4 million move from Lyon saw him becoming the most expensive player surpassing the £24 million transfer of another Chelsea legend Didier Drogba.
He remains one of the most productive buys for Chelsea till date. He was quick to cement his place in the squad under Jose Mourinho and won the Premier League title in his debut season.
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He went on to win 2 Premier Leagues, 4 FA cups and the Champions League with the Blues in their most successful era. Essien, Chelsea’s 2007 Player of the year, netted 25 times in a total of 256 appearances.
He spent a season on loan at Real Madrid that saw him reuniting with former boss Jose Mourinho. In the season 2012-13, he played a total of 34 games across all competition for the Los Blancos and scored 2 goals.
However, his stint as a Real Madrid player was never that successful and the player returned to Chelsea for the next season only to make 9 more appearances. He then went on to play for Serie A giants A.C. Milan during the 2014-15 season. However, his stay in Italy was not remarkable as he featured in 22 matches without scoring any goals.
In 2015-16 Greek side, Panathinaikos signed Essien to make him their highest earning player with an annual salary of €800,000. It will be a welcome move for the Melbourne management having suffered a setback in signing Alessandro Diamanti, as the Football Federation Australia (FFA) blocked the transfer.
