Essien grateful to Mourinho for Chelsea exit
Michael Essien has thanked Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho for allowing him to leave the club for Milan.
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Ghana international Essien flew to Milan on Friday to undergo a medical ahead of a proposed switch from Stamford Bridge to San Siro.
Upon his arrival at Malpensa Airport, the 31-year-old expressed excitement at the opportunity to play for Clarence Seedorf, but also showed gratitude to Mourinho.
"I'm happy to be here. I will do my best for Milan and hope to be ready to play," Essien told Milan Channel.
"I spoke with Mr. Seedorf two days ago, I can't wait to be there.
"I would like to thank the president and the team and thanks to Mourinho that I was allowed to wear the Milan shirt."
Essien has made just nine appearances in all competitions for Chelsea this term and will now hope to play a more prominent role with Milan ahead of the FIFA World Cup in June.
The 31-year-old is set to become the first signing for new Milan coach Seedorf, who took over the 18-time Italian champions following the sacking of Massimiliano Allegri earlier this month.
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Attacking midfielder Keisuke Honda and defender Adil Rami have also linked up with Milan in January, although both of those deals were agreed before Seedorf took charge.
