How Chelsea Legend Michael Essien Came Close to Joining Rivals Liverpool

• Michael Essien has disclosed he came close to joining Liverpool
• The Ghanaian midfielder snubbed the Reds to sign for Chelsea
• Essien won two Premier Leagues and one UCL with Chelsea

Michael Essien could have had a different career path after confirming he was very close to joining English Premier League giants Liverpool while he was still a teenager.

The Ghana legend caught the world’s attention as a teenager while playing for French side Bastia, with the Reds as one of the suitors interested in signing him.

According to the Daily Star, Essien was invited by Liverpool and even met with then-manager Gerard Houlier but decided against leaving Bastia because he wanted to stay for one more season.

“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.

A list of Muslim footballers who converted to Christianity

Football

“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.”

Essien went on to spend two years with Lyon, appearing in over 70 games and winning back-to-back league titles before joining Chelsea in 2005.

How Essien is helping Rangers star

Meanwhile, Rangers midfielder Dujon Sterling claims he used to watch YouTube clips of Chelsea legend Michael Essien to help him improve his game, The Herald reports.

Under the cautious supervision of famous manager Jose Mourinho, the former Ghana international became one of the unstoppable forces behind Chelsea's success.

For ten years, the defensive midfielder, noted for his outstanding long-range goals, shone out in the Blues' middle third as they won titles, including the Premier League and Champions League.

Eden Hazard: What Belgian superstar said about Mohamed Salah in 2019

Football

Michael Essien praises Mason Greenwood

Earlier, Sports Brief reported Mason Greenwood was the star of the game as Getafe tore apart Sevilla, with Chelsea legend, Michael Essien noticing and being left in awe at his performances.

Greenwood is on loan at the Spanish club to restart his career after nearly two years without football following assault allegations by his partner, Harriet Robson.

The court dropped the charges, but he was unable to continue at Manchester United amid outrage from fans when the club tried to reintegrate him into the first team.