Michael Essien was a Chelsea mainstay for almost 10 years, and was no stranger to an absolute belter of a goal. His accolades in England include two Premier League titles, a Champions League as well as three FA Cups, and a League Cup.
His trophy cabinet may have looked a little different had he chosen instead to make the switch up to Liverpool, and who knows what he could’ve achieved?
That almost happened when Essien was at his first French club, Bastia, with the future Blues ace even trekking up to Melwood to have a chat with the gaffer.
Speaking on Instagram Live, Essien stated: “I had a lot of offers. I was close to signing for Liverpool when Gerard Houllier was their coach. I even went to Melwood to meet the coach.
“We had a talk, and I returned to France, but the offers were still coming from PSG, Marseille and a few others. But, I told Bastia I didn’t want to move, and they also didn’t want to sell me at that time because they wanted me to stay for another year, which was fine with me.”
Essien went on to spend two years with Lyon, appearing over 70 times for the French outfit and picking up back-to-back league titles to go with his 2005 Ligue 1 Player of the Year award.
He added: “I thought it was too early to move to England. That was why I joined Lyon and later moved to Chelsea under Mourinho. Lyon was my favourite team when I went to France because they were winning everything. I told my agent that if Lyon have come into the picture, I’d like to join them.”
The transfer was not without its controversy, however, as an offer from PSG had been accepted despite Essien’s desired location being that of the champions.
He said: “PSG were then serious about signing me to the extent that they made an offer. I was back home at that time, and the call came that PSG had made a bid for me. It was even on national television that I had signed for PSG, which I had not because I was still in Ghana.
“There were a lot of controversies going on between the board and my agent, so when I went back to Bastia, we met with the board members and the president, and I told them I’d prefer to join Lyon, although I liked Paris.
“I was really caught between PSG and Lyon, but my preference was always Lyon. I then spoke to the president and their coach. I gave them my word that when I return from my holidays in Ghana, I’ll do everything to sign for them.”
When he did eventually leave France for the blue of west London in a deal that made him the most expensive African footballer in history at the time, Essien became a crucial piece of the Chelsea puzzle.
