Essien inks new five-year Chelsea deal (AFP)

by Talek Harris 7 minutes ago GUANGZHOU, China (AFP) - Chelsea announced a fresh five-year deal for midfielder Michael Essien on Tuesday as the club's new era began to take shape. The industrious Ghana international became the third player in a week to commit to Luiz Felipe Scolari's team after defender Wayne Bridge and goalkeeper Petr Cech. "I'm very happy here -- we have a great team and fantastic fans who have always made me welcome," Essien told Chelsea's website. "With the addition of the new manager, I am feeling very positive about the season ahead." Meedia reports said the deal was worth a cool 20 million pounds with Essien banking 80,000 pounds a week. Brazilian coach Scolari hailed the versatile 25-year-old, who has scored 14 goals in 143 appearances since joining Chelsea in 2005. "I have not been here long but it... [read full story]