:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/25959783/186890516.0.jpg)
Today has brought us news that Chelsea are in talks of some sort with Inter Milan, and the most likely subject of those talks involves a central midfield player. This morning also brings us some comments from a Chelsea player's agent, specifically the representative of Michael Essien:
"It's true that he could leave Chelsea this winter. Several big European clubs playing in the Champions League have made enquiries and it should play out in the next 10 days or so. Michael wasn't included in Chelsea's list of players for European competition, so he's free to play in the Champions League with another club."
If Chelsea were to end up signing Inter's Fredy Guarin, Essien would likely see his time on the pitch go from 'very little' to 'none'. A move would make an awful lot of sense for all parties involved, and I'd be thrilled to see getting time on the pitch for a non-rival somewhere. It hurts to see one of my favorite Chelsea legends buried due to age and injury, but he's still a good enough player to contribute at plenty of other clubs.
Essien is under contract with Chelsea until July of 2015, and wages have been an impediment to a move in the past. If Essien is willing to take a bit of a hit in that regard, I'd have to imagine there will be plenty of clubs lined up to bring him in.
Of the clubs still active in the Champions League, all of Schalke, Olymipiakos, Galatasaray, Zenit, and Bayer Leverkusen all make some sort of sense for Essien. Atletico Madrid would also seem like a potential landing place, especially if Koke winds up moving on in January.
