Essien staying at Lyon...

**Poor Student** · 09/08/2005, 1:29 PM

From soccernet.

'No Essien deal with Chelsea' - Lyon

LYON, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Olympique Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas said on Monday Michael Essien would definitely not go to Chelsea and there would be no new meeting with Roman Abramovich.
'The Essien case is closed and he will remain at Lyon,' Aulas told the club's website.

'England have won the Olympics but Chelsea will not get Michael Essien,' he added, referring to London's victory over Paris in the race for the 2012 Games.

Aulas was expected to meet Chelsea owner Abramovich on Tuesday but he said on Monday that he would not.

'There will be no new meeting involving myself,' he said.

Aulas had said earlier that Chelsea had underestimated the French champions in their pursuit of the Ghana midfielder.

'They thought we were just country bumpkins with our berets and a baguette in our pockets. That's not the way it works at Lyon,' Aulas told reporters.

Lyon have valued the 22-year-old at 45 million euros ($55.74 million).

Aulas said on Sunday the French club had rejected the latest offer from Chelsea, said by Lyon sources to be 38 million euros plus their Portugal midfielder Tiago, and had closed the door on negotiations

He later said the door was still open if the price was met.

Essien, last season's Ligue 1 Player of the Year, was left out of Gerard Houllier's team that beat Racing Strasbourg 1-0 on Sunday and has not played an official match for Lyon this season. He has said he wants to go to Chelsea.

Aulas said he had not informed Essien of his decision to end negotiations.

'I did not let him know. But he did not tell me anything when he negotiated with Chelsea behind my back,' he said.

However, Aulas believes Essien will do his best for Lyon.

'Maybe it's going to take him a week, maybe a little bit longer but one knows that when a dream does not come true, one is quickly back down on earth,' he said.

'And Michael is not unhappy here. He is at a great club which promises him a nice deal. Some things are much worse in life.'

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Does this mean he has ended his strike for Lyon? I must say I very much admire Lyon playing hardball with Chelsea. It's not often you see Chelsea outright rebuffed. Though I also think that if this was before Kenyon back in the Ranieri days Abramovich would have handed Lyon a blank cheque. It'll be interesting to see how he plays for Lyon this year.

**superfrank** · 09/08/2005, 1:54 PM

I think it'll be big news for Lyon. It'll definitely give them a lift if they want to win five-in-a-row. They've also got Pedretti in so I think they are planning for when he does leave.

Being a Chelsea fan, I'm disappointed and happy.