Imagine if Burnley had offered Michael Essien just £60 a week—yes, £60, not £60,000—to join their ranks. It’s hard to fathom, but this minimal amount
Imagine if Burnley had offered Michael Essien just £60 a week—yes, £60, not £60,000—to join their ranks. It’s hard to fathom, but this minimal amount of money could have changed the course of both the club’s and Essien’s history.
Essien, renowned for his stellar career at Chelsea, became one of the premier midfielders of his era.
His tenure at Stamford Bridge saw him claim two Premier League titles, one Champions League, four FA Cups, and a League Cup.
When he departed Chelsea in 2014, the £24.4 million fee Chelsea paid Lyon in 2005 was seen as a bargain.
However, a missed opportunity occurred six years before his Chelsea move.
In 1999, after a standout performance in the U17 World Cup where Ghana reached the semi-finals, Essien caught the eye of Burnley.
The club, then competing in the third tier of English football, had a chance to sign him following a successful trial.
Yet, a peculiar club policy—prohibiting the payment of more than £60 a week to apprentices—derailed the deal. Brendan Flood, former chairman of Burnley, revealed in 2009:
“I discovered Michael Essien had been on trial here for a few days. One of the best players in the World Cup—and we hadn’t signed him.
The club policy meant we wouldn’t pay an apprentice more than 60 quid a week.”
Flood highlighted that the club’s rigid policy and a lack of internal communication prevented them from making an exception for Essien.
He ended up joining French club Bastia, then Lyon, where he quickly made a name for himself.
By 2005, Essien had secured two Ligue 1 titles and the French top-flight’s Player of the Year award, which prompted Chelsea to break their transfer record to sign him.
Essien’s impact was immediate; the following season, he was named Chelsea’s Player of the Season, outshining stars like John Terry, Frank Lampard, and Didier Drogba.
Today, Essien, who earned around £100,000 a week at Chelsea, is part of the coaching staff at Danish club Nordsjaelland.
The story of how Burnley’s £60 wage policy led to one of football’s missed opportunities is a reminder of how a small decision can sometimes have a significant impact on a club’s fortunes.
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