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.
ââ¬ÅHe's a player everyone loves in this club but it is a fantastic situation for him and we didn't want to stop him,â⬠said Mourinho.
ââ¬ÅHe 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.ââ¬
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.