Chelsea legend John Obi Mikel has assessed the club’s season so far and identified one key reason behind their inconsistency.
The former Nigerian midfielder spoke on his Obi One Podcast, where he pointed to Chelsea’s transfer activity as a major factor in their failure to keep pace with Manchester City and Arsenal so early on.
In particular, Mikel highlighted Chelsea’s failure to adequately replace Enzo Fernández, despite knowing for weeks that the Argentine wanted to leave Stamford Bridge, potentially even before the World Cup. The club’s failure to address that situation has ultimately left a significant void in midfield, both in terms of quality and depth.
"That is one position that the club has failed to strengthen during the transfer window. We failed. We knew Enzo Fernandez wanted to leave the football club. We knew for so long he wanted to go. Yes, we got £125million sitting in the bank, but we failed to bring in another player and that’s why we are suffering right now."
He attributes Chelsea’s poor defensive record this season to that crucial error, but believes their numbers will improve once Moisés Caicedo returns. The hope is that his return will bring greater stability to the midfield and, in turn, help Chelsea keep more clean sheets.
"“We talk about leaking goals. Yes, we can blame the defence, but you need at least two holding players to be able to shield and protect the back-four in that system. You need that because you’re going to be exposed. We are missing Moises Caicedo. When we get him back, I think we will be a much, much more solid team."
After failing with a last-minute bid for Lamine Camara from AS Monaco, the Blues were left short of options in midfield. Moisés Caicedo was the only established elite option, while Reece James has been forced into a makeshift role, with Romeo Lavia and Valentin Barco providing further depth.
The retired footballer-turned-podcast host is well placed to assess Chelsea’s midfield situation, having competed with some of the club’s greatest-ever midfielders during his decade at Stamford Bridge, including Michael Essien, Claude Makélélé, Michael Ballack, Ramires and Nemanja Matić.
Mikel is also no stranger to controversy himself. After initially agreeing to join Manchester United, his move became embroiled in a bizarre saga involving his disappearance and claims of a kidnapping. He ultimately chose Chelsea, with the Blues paying £16 million for his services, and went on to spend 10 years at the club.
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