Abdul Baba Rahman has revealed he talked to Michael Essien and Christian Atsu prior to his Chelsea move.

The 21-year-old left-back completed his £21.7million transfer from German club FC Augsburg on the weekend but before he committed, he made sure he spoke with fellow Ghanaians Essien and Atsu regarding the Stamford Bridge club.

"Yes, I spoke with both of them and they were very positive about Chelsea. They told me it was a great club with very nice people, which was good to hear," he told the club's official website of Essien and Atsu, the latter being on loan at Bournemouth.

Rahman also admitted that Blues great Essien, who spent almost a decade in West London, was a major influence on his own career.

"Yes, I watched him whenever I could," Rahman said of the Panathinaikos midfielder.

"In Ghana they only showed the Premier League at that time so I was always watching him, he was a great player for Chelsea."