July 8, 201113 yr Sigh. McGarry is saying cruciate and he is having scans. I really hope this isn't correct. If it is, it might well be the beginning of the end of his career with us. Three serious knee injuries in four seasons is pretty hard to overcome.
July 8, 201113 yr Sigh. McGarry is saying cruciate and he is having scans. I really hope this isn't correct. If it is, it might well be the beginning of the end of his career with us. Three serious knee injuries in four seasons is pretty hard to overcome. I think thats why we got a very similar player in Ramires tbh.
July 8, 201113 yr You're right there Castiel. It f**ks his resale value though. Still if there is any time for this to happen it's best that it is in pre-season, where we can bring in a replacement if needed. All that in mind (and of course the rumours are unconfirmed) but I'm absolutely gutted for him. Having had a similar injury myself, it is horrible. I can't imagine doing it three times in four years.
July 8, 201113 yr Being confirmed by Dan Carry on Twitter who's usually quite reliable and in the know... apparently we're preparing a statement for 5pm. This will be such a blow if he's out for a long time, do you think we'll look for another replacement or just help bring Josh up further?
July 8, 201113 yr That is just about the worst possible news there could be. Still hope that scans reveal its not a cruciate. And even if it is the worst case scenario, I refuse to believe its the end for him here. Edited July 8, 201113 yr by footballoholic
July 8, 201113 yr Author If true, he's finished. If true, sadly agree. I doubt he would have passed a medical if we had put him up for sale as well. Sadly due to the demands of playing so often the players get very little time for strength training.
July 8, 201113 yr This is absolutely awful news if true. I was hoping that he would be back to his world-beating best after a good preseason, but another cruciate injury might be one too many. We've had horrible luck in this department recently; first young Sam Hutchinson and now Michael Essien - what a terrible waste of talent. We can only pray that it's bullsh*t.
July 8, 201113 yr Lads, I'm sure you will agree that this news was coming sometime, of course, I didn't think it would be in pre season. But evidence suggests this was going to happen. Remember towards the end of last season he had to stop playing a few games and came off etc. It was clear to me there was a big problem, I thought the rest may help him. Doesn't seem like this is going to be the case.
July 8, 201113 yr His previous injuries have left a mark on his game and if he has suffered yet another serious one it is surely all over for him. Very sad for him and for all at the club but his loss to the side in purely football terms has in effect been gradual over the last couple of seasons, so I would not say it is not a huge loss to the side. All said, I hope this story turns out to be incorrect.
July 8, 201113 yr If its the same knee as he's injured before then im afraid he'll be finished in premier league, after having 4 knee ops and 2 clean ups on the same knee myself without any cruciate damage then the repairs he will need will cause so much scar tissue within the knee theres no way he will get back to 100% fit (allegedly every cut reduces knee effectiveness by about 10%) so he will be kippered ... shame as a couple of years ago he was a midfield powerhouse but he hasnt been a shadow of himself lately
July 8, 201113 yr I'm gutted for Essien if true, but its a injury at a position that we really don't have to replace. We have Mikel and Ramires that play the same type role. Plus Josh can step in and play the Defensive mid spot. I actually like Josh there. He has good size and he is able to create from there.
July 8, 201113 yr Oh deary me, seriously? Feel so bad for Essien hes such a beast when fit, f**k sake.. kind of getting like hargreaves now.
July 8, 201113 yr f**k f**k f**k f**k f**k. Sky sports news have got it as breaking news now. I really hope it isnt too bad This could be the end of Essien for us. :(
July 8, 201113 yr Gutted if true. I was hopeful that Essien could get a good rest and pre-season under his belt and come back as good as he once was. He was a great player, lacked a bit of finesse but made up for it in strength, athleticism, attitude, power, energy etc. He was possibly the most highly-rated midfielder in the world not long ago, a player that would walk into any team, a player that could do a job in almost every position. He was quite literally scary, the sort of player opponents fear, his mere presence giving us a psychological edge before the game's even begun. Will he ever reach those heights? Almost definitely not, if this news is true. Even worse, it will probably mean more game-time for Mikel, a player who may become an asset but whom I doubt will ever be considered a great. Personally, I was hoping he would be shipped out. My patience has waned with him. Thank god we have Ramires. He may not strike fear into opponents like Essien did, but boy what a player. A Chelsea legend in the making. One of the first names on the teamsheet for me. All our rivals in England and Europe will be delighted with this news. A bitter blow for us (and him). A player like Modric (here's hoping) would flourish alongside the brute strength of Essien, in the same way Zola flourished alongside the brute strength of Hughes. We may need to buy an "enforcer" ..
July 8, 201113 yr I am concerned tbh aswell about our current midfield. You wouldn't rely on ramires and josh and mikel to win tropies. Benny lamps could also pick up knocks again, I hope we seriously invest in midfield, even though I am sure most posters wanted to its just reinforces the need!
July 8, 201113 yr Sad news, but I have to say I would have listened to offers for him this Summer prior to this injury. With Chelsea, because of Ballack, Mikel, Deco, Ramires etc he was never rushed back from injury - so I just think his body couldn't take the demands of the English game, as well as some bloody awful bad luck too :( Without meaning to jump in his grave - we don't need another engine, we need someone with a bit of flair or creativity.
July 8, 201113 yr Terrible news. Not only for Chelsea, but for Essien as well. I don't think we will ever see him reach the level he once played at again. But I wish him the best and hopefully this injury isn't career-ending. As for what our midfield will look like without him, I'm not too worried. We have Lampard, Mikel, Ramires, Yossi and Josh who I think will get more opportunities this season. I would also be surprised if we didn't buy a new midfielder. I'm also not sure if we will sell a midfielder. Maybe Yossi, but I doubt it. That would leave us with 6 midfielders and unless we suffer the same amount of injuries as last season we should be okay.
July 8, 201113 yr Am afraid if he is out for a long period, we will need two midfielders (creative/deep-lying/box2box). I am not sure Lamps/Benayoun won't pick up another injury. Gutted but I reckon we will see some movement now.
July 8, 201113 yr Gutted for the big man, he was such a monster when fully fit but I think this could see the end of him as a top class player. And such a brilliant bloke also, never caused any problem since we signed him and this happens.
