Mourinho – We didn’t want to stop Essien

Published on: 29 January 2014
Mourinho – We didn’t want to stop Essien
Michael Essien

Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho believes allowing Michael Essien to join AC Milan was the right decision for both the club and the player.

The 31-year-old joined the Blues from Lyon in 2005 and made 256 appearances for the club.

He also spent the 2012/13 season on loan with Spanish club real Madrid where he worked under the Portuguese coach.

However, he was unable to secure a place in the current Chelsea squad and Mourinho believes the move to the Rossoneri will benefit the Ghana international.

“He's a player everyone loves in this club but it is a fantastic situation for him and we didn't want to stop him,” said Mourinho.

“He deserved that the club let him go on a free transfer and with (Nemanja) Matic we covered the situation in midfield and we could let Michael go.”

Essien will now look to get regular game time at Milan ahead of the FIFA World Cup which will take place in Brazil in June.

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