Essien expresses gratitude to Abrahamovich, Mourinho for free transfer to AC Milan

Published on: 25 January 2014
Essien expresses gratitude to Abrahamovich, Mourinho for free transfer to AC Milan
Essien has been given a massive welcome in Milan

Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien has expressed his gratitude to the club owner Roman Abramovich and manager Jose Mourinho for allowing him to leave the club to join AC Milan on a free transfer despite having some two years left on his contract.

The 31-year-old arrived in Milan on Friday night to seal the move to AC Milan after the Chelsea  bosses agreed not to demand a transfer fee for the midfielder.

This means he will join the Italian giants on a free transfer if he passes his medical on Saturday, paving the way for the Ghanaian to received a bumper salary.

Essien is grateful to Chelsea chief Â Abramovich and Mourinho for helping him secure what would be a free transfer to AC Milan.

"I want to thank [Chelsea chairman] Roman Abramovich, the squad and Mourinho, who gave me the chance to join Milan."

Essien will be the latest expense-free arrival at Milan in the January window on the back of Keisuke Honda's free transfer from CSKA Moscow and Adil Rami's loan move from Valencia.

The Ghanaian is eligible to compete in the Champions League for Seedorf's men - with Atletico Madrid in the last 16 their next obstacle - as he did not feature for Chelsea earlier in the campaign.

Milan have underperformed hugely this season and sit 11th in Serie A, scraped into the last 16 in Europe's elite competition and were knocked out of the Coppa Italia in midweek.

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website.
Learn more