Prior to his entrance in the Premier League, Michael Essien has disclosed that he was on the verge of joining Liverpool. With Chelsea, he won both the championship and the Champions League.
Michael Essien, a Chelsea great, came dangerously close to joining Liverpool before winning the Premier League. The former Ghanaian midfielder won nine trophies during his nine-year tenure at Chelsea, including five FA Cup and Champions League titles.
As a youth, Essien became well-known with the French team Bastia, drawing interest from several European clubs. In the summer of 2003, he would finally sign with rivals Lyon in Ligue 1, but not before stopping by Merseyside.
The 41-year-old even discussed a potential transfer to Anfield with former manager Gerard Houllier. He is featured in this year’s Soccer Aid at Stamford Bridge.
“I received numerous offers to escape Bastia. When Gerard Houllier was Liverpool’s coach, I was on the verge of signing with them,” Essien stated on Instagram Live in 2020.
I went to meet the coach at Melwood as well. After our conversation, I went back to France, but the offers kept rolling in. from Marseille and PSG, but I informed Bastia that I didn’t want to relocate and that it wasn’t interested in selling me at the moment. I also didn’t want to leave the club, and Bastia wanted me to stay for an additional year.”
In the end, Essien signed a $31 million (£24 million/€28 million) contract with Jose Mourinho to transfer to Stamford Bridge in 2005, setting a new record for the club.
He is renowned for a long-range strike against Arsenal and was a part of some historic local and European bouts of wrestling with Liverpool.
He played on loan for Real Madrid before joining AC Milan in 2014; towards the end of his career, he also played in Greece, Indonesia, and Azerbaijan. In the same Instagram video, he looked back on his career and listed Liverpool great Steven Gerrard as one of his hardest opponents.
“It’s between Gerrard and Paul Scholes,” the former midfield player continued. It was difficult to play against them. They were not just skilled with the ball but also had a strong tackle technique.
“They were really tough, but in comparison to now, the Premier League was considerably tougher. You have to attempt to be more resilient since every squad you face is challenging.”
