Michael Essien has admitted his relief at finally been given the green light to make his long expected move from Lyon to Chelsea.
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas had hoped to hold onto his prized asset but finally admitted defeat on Sunday when he announced that he would reluctantly let Essien join the Premiership champions.
"I am so relieved, I feel so well now, I am very happy, it's great," Essien told French newspaper L'Equipe. "I was really scared when the president spoke on television on Sunday evening after the Marseille match."
"I did not know what he would say. It freaked me out. Then he said yes and everything got sorted in the end. I really like the English Premier League. I wanted to play in it and Chelsea have become one of the greatest clubs in Europe."
"This is a new adventure. And I would like to thank the president and the technical staff for allowing me to make my dream come true, this is great. Lyon did all they could to keep me, but going to Chelsea is just too crazy (to reject)."'
Essien missed four-time defending Ligue 1 champions Lyon's first three matches due to the on-off move. "I have been through very tough moments," he continued.
"My team-mates helped me a lot by talking to me and understanding me. They would say I should not worry too much. I discussed it a lot with Claudio Cacapa as well as with Sidney Govou. They all agreed with me and they saw I was not behaving normally anymore."
"I am usually someone who laughs and makes jokes all the time. But I would stay by myself. Such an opportunity to join Chelsea could not be denied," he insisted.
