Essien: I’m here to win titles

Ghanaian midfield, powerhouse Michael Essien, is looking forward to a new adventure in Greek football and says he wants to win titles with his new club Panathinaikos.

The former Chelsea star signed a two-year deal with the Greek side last Tuesday after leaving AC Milan as a free agent. After penning a €1.2 million-a-year contract, Essien revealed his ambitions for success with the Greek Super League runners-up. "I am very happy to be here and I'm very much looking forward to starting my new career with Panathinaikos.

"I am a winner and I have come to Greece to win more trophies and to do whatever I can for my new team," said the 32-year-old star, who was restricted to 22 appearances for Milan because of injuries.

He was greeted by an enthusiastic crowd of about 800 supporters on his arrival at Athens Eleftherios Venizelos airport earlier last Tuesday before he passed a medical. It was a reception which overwhelmed the man nicknamed the Bison.

"When I saw the fans, it was a great pleasure for me to see that they came out to greet me. It was incredible. I want to thank them and I will do everything I can to repay them," said the former Black Stars player.

After making his name as a box-to-box midfielder at Bastia and Olympique Lyonnais in France, Essien signed for Chelsea in 2005 and spent nine years at the west London club where he won a Champions League title, two Premier League titles and four FA Cups. He spent the 2012-13 season on loan at Real Madrid before joining Milan in January 2014 where he struggled to make an impact in a below-par team which finished 10th last season.

The capture of Essien is a huge coup for Panathinaikos, who have not won a league title since 2010 when Frenchman Djibril Cisse spearheaded the attack.