Chelsea FC Transfer Rumours: John Obi Mikel Wants Out
Chelsea FC’s John Obi Mikel reportedly wants to leave Stamford Bridge this summer, and there are reports that he has already signed a deal with Arab club Al Ain. Will letting him go, though, be in Chelsea’s best interests?
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The midfielder joined the Blues in June 2006 in unbelievably complicated circumstances. Having already agreed a move to Manchester United from Lyn Oslo, Chelsea also claimed ownership of the player leading to a long drawn out affair which ended with him coming to Stamford Bridge. The West London club paid United £12 million and Oslo £4 million in order for Mikel to officially become a Blue.
He then went on to play a consistently significant role for the team, making at least 35 competitive appearances in each of his first eight seasons. This included starting and playing the whole of the 2012 Champions League final which saw the Blues win their first ever European Cup.
However, this past season he fell out of favour with boss Jose Mourinho and only appeared 26 times. With this, Mikel is reportedly looking to leave West London in search of some more playing time and Al Ain striker Asamoah Gyan (formerly of Sunderland) has seemingly confirmed the deal himself.
‘I heard it this week that he has agreed terms with Al Ain and will most definitely be playing for us next season.
‘It’s great news for us because Mikel is a very good player and very experienced.’
But can Chelsea really afford to let him leave?
it’s hard to name another player who has been as consistently solid over such an extended period of time
Squad depth was a genuine concern in the last campaign, and the Blues were lucky to not be significantly stretched at any point in the season. To be fair, central midfield was one of the better equipped positions with Ramires, Oscar and Mikel backing up Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic, but with the first two both rumoured to be on their way out, losing the Nigerian would leave the Blues very thin indeed.
Of course Mourinho is not stupid enough to let go of all three midfielders without bringing in replacements, but is there anyone out there of Mikel’s quality who does not command a transfer fee of over £20 million?
There are those that may laugh off the midfielder’s attributes, but it’s hard to name another player who has been as consistently solid, if not spectacular, over such an extended period of time. He has the role of a midfield spoiler, breaking up opposition play and protecting the back four, and he carries it out effectively. You can’t ask for, or expect, much more.
Another issue arises with the fact that Chelsea will likely let him go for a negligible amount of money. After essentially signing him for £16 million as a realtively unknown 19 year old, it will be a waste if the Blues don’t milk him for his true value. Furthermore, he still has two years left to run on his contract and is now 28, supposedly in the prime of his career.
However, from Mikel’s point of view his reasons for wanting a move can be understood, especially with regard to his age. Even though Mourinho has told him that he remains in his first team plans, being so starved of football at such a point in your career is incredibly frustrating. He’s good enough to deserve more time on the field, and he would undoubtedly receive it if he moved to almost any other Premier League club.
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Additionally, Chelsea openly stating their desire to bring in more central midfielders coupled with the emergence of the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek will probably only result in Mikel’s playing opportunities further diminishing. To this end, it’s hard to complain about the Nigerian’s wish to move on.
What is also intriguing, meanwhile, is that there appears to be very few other clubs who are interested in making a move for him. This is unlikely to be due to wage demands or personal terms but it’s surprising to say the least.
All in all, losing Mikel will be detrimental from Chelsea’s perspective. A solid, trusted performer who is happy to be part of a rotation (as opposed to the back-up role he fulfilled last time out), it will be hard for the Blues to find another player quite like him.
For Mikel, though, he evidently feels his time is up at Stamford Bridge. After acquiring 2 Premier Leagues, 2 League Cups, 4 FA Cups, 1 Europa League and a Champions League, it seems all but certain that he won’t be lining up in Chelsea blue come August.
It’s goodbye to a criminally under-appreciated footballer.
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