Chelsea midfielder Michael Essien is expected to be out of action for a few months with a knee injury he suffered in Ghana’s World Cup qualifier against Libya. The injury is a major blow to Chelsea who was expected to compete with Manchester United for the Premier League title this season. "He has ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and will undergo an operation as soon as the majority of the swelling has subsided. We expect this to happen in a week's time," Chelsea said, "A return to full fitness is not expected for several months."
In other Chelsea news, the team may end up regretting the decision not to sign Robinho. He signed with Manchester City and is vowing to make Chelsea pay for not signing him this summer. The two teams meet for the first time on Saturday. It was thought that Robinho would join Chelsea after deciding to leave Real Madrid but he couldn’t come to terms with Chelsea on a deal and Manchester City ended up making a better offer. "It is Real's fault that I did not sign for Chelsea but it is also Chelsea’s fault," Manchester City new contract Robinho said, "I don't think they managed it very well. They waited until the last minute and it turned out badly for them. "My head was at Chelsea but now that is forgotten. I know Scolari is upset with me but these things happen.
When I play against them I will show that they were wrong not to raise their offer. City presented the offer five hours before the deadline and until then I had not been thinking about them at all."
Many of the Manchester City players were also shocked at the addition of Robinho. "I was glued to the TV last Monday listening to all these bids we were making for world-class players," City’s Micah Richards said, "In the end I fell asleep and just after midnight my best mate rang me and said, 'We've signed Robinho.' "I thought I was still dreaming and said, 'Yeah, whatever.' But then I turned the TV back on and there it was. I mean, he's the kind of player you would usually only pick for City if you were playing a computer game. Hopefully it is a sign of things to come and City will be winning trophies and playing in the Champions League every year. If the things the new owner has said are true, this is City's chance to grab football by the scruff of the neck - and I can't wait."
Deco was shocked. “To leave Madrid to go to Chelsea is okay, but I have my doubts with respect to City. I don't know, we will have to ask Robinho what happened. It's not normal either to change Real for City only for the money. Robinho has the standing to play in a team who aspire to titles."
