Having been shackled with a place at right back for a lot of the last two years, Jose Bosingwa should allow Essien his midfield role back
A manager’s dream, whether playing at centre-back, full-back or in his preferred midfield berth, ‘the Bison’ almost always lives up to his nickname. Signed from French champions Lyon in 2005 for a then-club record transfer fee of £24.4m, the Ghanaian combines inexhaustible stamina and drive – he often has to go for a run after games to burn off excess energy – with power, pace and devilish shooting to make the very model of a modern midfield general. In 2006-07, he was voted Chelsea fans’ Player of the Year, while in the same season he finished as runner-up to Freddie Kanoute as African Player of the Year. His sterling performances in the latter half of the 2007-08 almost helped Chelsea overhaul Manchester United.