Arsenal
What if we informed you Michael Essien might have been a Burnley participant if the membership have been prepared to pay him £60-a-week?
Not £60,000. Simply £60. That is not a typo.
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Essien will likely be remembered for a wonderful Chelsea profession, which established him as one of many nice midfielders of his time.
The Ghanaian celebrity gained two Premier League titles, one Champions League, 4 FA Cups, and one League Cup throughout his time at Stamford Bridge.
By the point he left in 2014, the £24.4million paid to signal him from Lyon in 2005 was thought of a discount.
However Burnley snubbed the chance to signal him at no cost simply six years earlier.
In 1999, Essien had simply starred for Ghana’s youth group on the U17 World Cup, the place they have been eradicated by Brazil on penalties within the semi-finals.
He impressed on trial with the Clarets, who have been within the third tier of English soccer that summer season, however a weird membership rule meant they weren’t in a position to snap him up.
In 2009, former Burnley chairman Brendan Flood mentioned in The Individuals: “I found Michael Essien had been on trial right here for a couple of days.
“The most effective gamers within the World Cup – and we hadn’t signed him.
“The membership coverage meant we wouldn’t pay an apprentice greater than 60 quid every week.
“It smacked me within the face that the issue was an absence of communication throughout the membership that stopped our youth guys making an exception to the rule.”
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As a substitute, Essien joined French membership Bastia, after which Lyon, the place he rose to prominence.
By 2005, the midfielder had two Ligue 1 titles and the French top-flight’s Participant of the Yr award to his identify as he headed to Chelsea in what was a membership document signing on the time.
Within the following marketing campaign, the 23-year-old Essien gained the membership’s Participant of the Season award over the likes of John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba.
He ended up incomes round £100,000-a-week at Chelsea, only a cool £96,940 greater than Burnley have been prepared to pay.
These days, Essien is a part of the teaching employees at Danish membership Nordsjælland.
talkSPORT caught up with the now 42-year-old throughout his look at Soccer Support final yr.
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Essien supplied the lowdown on Ghanaian countryman Mohammed Kudus, the topic of accelerating switch hypothesis this summer season.
Tottenham lodged their £50m bid for Kudus final week, however it was swiftly turned down.
The 24-year-old has made it clear he needs to make the transfer from East to north London, however West Ham are hoping for a rival supply from Chelsea.
When requested how he rated Kudus, Essien mentioned: “Very excessive, very excessive.
“He is acquired the whole lot to be on the prime, he is an excellent footballer – he is acquired the whole lot to be a prime, prime, participant.”
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