Despite being only 31, Chelsea’s Michael Essien has lost contact with Mourinho’s first eleven. The Ghana international who has been one of the Blues’ main men over the years, is no longer able to find his form.

After spending 8 years at Stamford Bridge, Essien is apparently ready to move on for good. He was pretty close to moving to Madrid during the summer, but it all fell apart after Mourinho decided to leave the Spanish side in order to return to Chelsea. It would have been a great change for the Ghanaian who looked to have rediscovered his form while performing for Real.

His return to London was not as great as he’d expected regardless of the fact that Mourinho considered him one of the best midfielders in the world. Essien has been linked to AC Milan but a transfer looks very unlikely considering the instability shown by the Italian side who just named 37 year old Clarence Seedorf as manager.

One thing is for sure though according to Metro, Essien will be leaving Stamford Bridge in the shortest time possible. With Nemanja Matic returning from Benfica and with Chelsea’s new “over 30” age policy it is hard to believe the 31 year old will sign a new deal with the Blues. It is just a matter of time until he decides whether he will stay until the end of the season or not.

Essien still has a lot to offer and staying at Stamford Bridge is surely not going to help him show people that he still has game as he never sees the pitch. He is definitely in need of a change in scenery despite being under contract with Chelsea until the summer of 2015.