Mikel’s Stay in Chelsea Due to British Citizenship
Super Eagles star, John Obi Mikel has no plans to leave Chelsea as he is due to get his British passport in October.
According to AfricanFootball.com, a close associate of the Chelsea midfielder said Obi could have readily taken up offers from clubs like Monaco and Juventus this summer, but for the fact that this could deny him a British passport in October.
“Mikel will be a British citizen by October and that was one of the main considerations why he has opted to stay put at Chelsea at least for the time being,” the close associate is reported to have said.
“There are offers from clubs like Juventus, Galatasaray and Monaco, but he would rather get his passport before he considers any of them.”
It was also revealed that Mikel could consider an exit from Stamford Bridge during the January transfer window as by that time, he would have gotten his passport.
The 27-year-old joined Chelsea in 2006 and has won several major honours including UEFA Champions League and Europa League as well as the English Premier League title with the club.
Last season he made a total of 36 appearances in all competitions, and scored two goals. His contract with the London club expires in June 2017.
Coach Jose Mourinho has revealed the club will be forced to sell a foreigner in its squad. The likely target of the forced transfer being Spain forward Fernando Torres, Mikel or goalkeeper Petr Cech.
The return of Didier Drogba means Chelsea’s anticipated first-team squad has one too many foreign players under Premier League and Champions League rules which state that a club can only name 17 foreign players over the age of 21 in their official 25-man squads. Chelsea have 18 overseas stars who are realistically vying for those places.
Mourinho wants to offload Torres, but clubs are avoiding bids as Chelsea’s £20 million asking price and the Spaniard’s £175,000-a-week wages are deemed too high. If Chelsea fail to sell Torres or Mikel, who has not generated much interest, Mourinho may be forced to consider a Paris St-Germain offer for the goalkeeper Petr Cech.
