MICHAEL ESSIEN SET TO LEAVE GREEK CLUB

Ex-Chelsea powerhouse defender, Michael Essien is set to leave his Greek club after getting few playing time this season.


The Ghanaian legend has been unsettled at the Greek giants since making that career switch during the summer window on a free transfer. Essien played for Olympique Lyon in 2003 before moving to Chelsea in 2005 for 38 million Euros. He went on loan to Spanish Giant Real Madrid in 2012 before returning to Stamford Bridge. He left on a free transfer to AC Milan in 2013 before joining his current club in 2015.

Essien continues playing a back-up role

It’s been quite a few years now that Michael Essien has had to settle with a place on the sidelines of any club that he joins. This doesn’t come much as a surprise, especially after taking into consideration the fact that Essien is 33 years old and his age does appear to be catching up to him and it’s becoming evident in the pitch as well.

Michael Essien started being dropped to the sidelines on a more consistent basis when he joined Ac.Milan back on January of 2014 and the playing time of Essien with the Italian club was seriously limited as the veteran midfielder had to spend the majority of the time on the bench.

Michael Essien is expected to leave Panathinaikos

Michael Essien originally joined Panathinaikos on June of 2015 but he couldn’t play any competitive match with the Greek club until 3 months later due to a leg injury.

When he did manage to make his debut appearance and play, Essien made a string of impressive performances. The Ghanaian midfielder helped Panathinaikos in climbing to the top spots of the Greek Super League.

Unfortunately for Michael Essien, his influence in Panathinaikos has dropped as he has missed out from a number of matches and been given more time on the sidelines as a substitute player.

Essien is expected to leave the Greek club at the end of the season and there are rumors going on stating that he might be making a move to Al Ittihad and reunite with his former Chelsea teammate Sulley Muntari.

Michael Essien might be leaving for Qarabag

Michael Essien, the former Chelsea midfielder who currently plays for Greek club Panathinaikos might be leaving soon for the Azerbaijan team Qarabag.

The midfielder has been criticizing for his nonchalant display by his coach.

Panathinaikos’ coach Andrea Stramaccioni was not satisfied by Michael Essien performance in an important match against Olympiacos. Some report that his performance was just because he was not selected as part of the starting 11. In any case, there are rumors that this might have been his last performance with the Greek club.

Michael Essien replaced Lucas Martín Villafanez with 20 minutes left to play and was not really pleased. This was shown by his attitude on the pitch where he played at a pedestrian pace.

Michael Essien will stay put in Panathinaikos

Despite the recent reports which have emerged linking Michael Essien with a move away from the Greek club Panathinaikos, the Ghanaian midfielder is not leaving his current club anytime soon as the veteran player has turned into a fans favorite who has helped Panathinaikos in winning crucial matches.

Michael Essien joined Panathinaikos on June of 2015 but it wasn’t until 3 months later that he managed to make his official debut performance. Essien wasn’t able to get into the pitch immediately after signing with the Greek club due to a leg injury but the Ghanaian player has turned into a consistent starter for the club.

Guus Hiddink believes that he might have inherited a better squad

Chelsea interim manager Guus Hiddink believes that he might have inherited a better squad in his first spell at the club back in 2009.

The Dutchman recently returned for a second spell as the interim manager at the club. His first spell was extremely successful with the club winning the FA Cup and also going on to reach the Champions League semifinals. They were narrowly beaten by Barcelona in the semifinals, but Chelsea were clearly the better team over the two legs back then. A crucial part of the success of achieved by Hiddink in his first spell was .

BELINGA TAKES ON CAMEROON ROLE

Cameroon recently appointed Alexandre Belinga as the interim coach for the national team after the recent sacking of Volker Finke. The national team recently qualified for the third round of the World Cup 2018 qualification campaign following a victory over Niger.

Even though the second leg of the match between the two teams at the home of Cameroon finished as a 0-0 draw, the first leg 3-0 victory meant that Cameroon progress to the next round. Despite this success, there are a lot of problems within the team and Belinga has a tough job on his hands.

Mark Hughes believes that Chelsea will not be in a poor form

Stoke City manager Mark Hughes believes that Chelsea will not be in a poor form throughout the campaign. He also says that changing the manager may not be the right choice for the West London outfit.

Hughes played for the club and was even close to being appointed as a manager a few years ago. He is no longer a contender for the Chelsea job. Jose Mourinho may be sacked if results do not improve. Even though the club only recently issued a statement offering full support to the manager, it would be hard not to get anxious after the latest 2-1 defeat against West Ham.

Michael Owen has praised Luke Shaw

Ahead of one of the fiercest derbies in English football, former Manchester United and Liverpool striker Michael Owen has praised Luke Shaw.

The defender moved to United last summer for an astronomical transfer fee coupled with huge questions about the wages. Chelsea manager José Mourinho was believed to be interested in signing Shaw. However, he stated that once the West London outfit, who are backed by one of the richest men in England, learnt about the wage demands of the player, they did not think twice about backing out. Their decision seemed to correct at least last season when Shaw spent most of the season on the sidelines.

Michael Essien has ended his career in the top leagues

Former Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien has ended his career in the top leagues after securing a move to Panathinaikos in the Greek league.

The 32-year-old has been plagued by injury problems for the last couple of years. It has robbed him of the quality, which many have come to see during his time at Chelsea. His initial few years at the West London club gave the world a taste of his best football. He remains as one of the few Ghanaian footballers to have won the Premier League, the FA Cup and the Champions League.

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