Source: Telegraph
Chelsea linked with Russia's Yuri Zhirkov
The Star[LNB]reports that new manager Guus Hiddink has urged owner Roman Abramovich to sign the CSKA Moscow player, who is expected to be available for around £15 million. [LNB]Zhirkov has impressed Russia manager Hiddink, who said after Euro 2008: 'Zhirkov plays a very modern game – he's capable of covering all the left side of the pitch. [LNB]'A player can only do this if he has brilliant technical skills and physical condition. He's a top-class footballer.' [LNB]Zhirkov has also been linked with Juventus, but Abramovich's links with CSKA president Yengeni Giner make Chelsea his most likely destination, according to the Star. [LNB]Meanwhile, Chelsea's midfield could be boosted before the summer with the return from injury of Michael Essien. [LNB]Essien played just two matches for Chelsea – against Wigan and Tottenham – before undergoing knee surgery, robbing the club of one of their most powerful performers. [LNB]The speed of his rehabilitation means Essien could return for fixtures against Manchester City and Tottenham next month. [LNB]And should Chelsea negotiate their Champions League last 16 tie against Juventus, he would surely figure in the quarter finals in early April. [LNB] "According to rehabilitation physio Thierry Laurent, it should not take more than one month for me to play actively again," Essien said. [LNB] "He has assured me that once we go through a few other exercises for two or three weeks, I should be fit enough to return to the pitch." [LNB]
