Source: Team_Talk
Blues can 'cope' without Essien
Chelsea are in no rush to sign a replacement for Michael Essien, according to the club's technical director Michael Emenalo.[LNB] New Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas saw his plans for the new season take a huge blow last week when Essien suffered knee ligament damage, ruling him out for six months.[LNB]There are serious doubts about Essien's long-term fitness given that it is the third such injury of his career, and the London club have been linked with a number of replacements for the midfield powerhouse - most notably Scott Parker and Cheik Tiote.[LNB]It is understood that the clubs of those players, West Ham and Newcastle, have not received any official approach from Chelsea, but Tiote impressed last season with his combative displays and would be an obvious like-for-like replacement for Essien.[LNB]Part of Emenalo's new brief is to look after scouting and he would play a role in finding a replacement for Essien if asked to do so by Villas-Boas.[LNB]The Nigerian insists that the Blues will not be affected by Essien's injury and even hinted that the club would not need to bring in a replacement.[LNB]"The squad is littered with world-class players and the idea of replacing someone or not replacing someone sounds a little bit ludicrous," he told Sky Sports News.[LNB]"We have enough in the tank to get the job done. He (Essien) will be missed. Everyone knows he is an important part of Chelsea and a magnificent player in the side for the club and he still will be when he recovers but I don't think there is any panic or desperation to replace him.[LNB]"We will do just what a club of our ilk should do and find the right solution."[LNB]Tottenham's Luka Modric has also made it clear that he wants to join Chelsea, but the north London club are adamant that their star playmaker is staying and Emenalo refused to comment on the matter.[LNB]The technical director was happy to talk about the big impact that he thinks Villas-Boas has had since his appointment last month.[LNB]The 33-year-old was seen as a big gamble when he was appointed to succeed Carlo Ancelotti given that he only has one full season's experience in club management.[LNB]However, Emenalo thinks that Villas-Boas' experience of coaching and scouting under the late Sir Bobby Robson and Jose Mourinho means he is the perfect man to lead Chelsea's title chase.[LNB]"He has shown in his relatively young managerial career that he can do the job," Emenalo said.[LNB]"I try to remind people that even though he is 33, Andre has 17 years of experience because he started so young.[LNB]"He has an incredibly large amount of knowledge about the game and we have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that he is the right man for the job.[LNB]"He has already started putting his prints all over the place.[LNB]"There is a new atmosphere and dynamism within the club and a freshness that everyone is trying to feed off. We are all feeling very positive about the future."[LNB]Villas-Boas, who won the treble with Porto last season, insists his relatively young age will not prevent him from being successful at Stamford Bridge.[LNB]"Through all the steps in my career, I've been confronted by questions about my age," Villas-Boas said.[LNB]"In order to get experience, you need to have access to experience, and it has happened like that throughout my career."
