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Jose Mourinho Targets This Unlikely Star From Chelsea For January Raid

mikel

Chelsea’s recent success under Antonio Conte has had everyone raving about the formation and the way fringe players like Victor Moses have been able to secure regular first team football has been astonishing. There have also been players who have been affected by the success; Cesc Fabregas would probably spring to the top of the mind, but John obi Mikel could be the biggest casualty. The Nigerian has become a forgotten member at Chelsea and he is yet to feature even for a single minute under Conte.

Mikel has been coming in the headlines of late with his future in huge doubt. The Nigerian has admitted that he would be considering offers elsewhere if his situation at Chelsea did not improve. Mikel was brought in by Jose Mourinho back in 2006 and he is one of the club’s longest serving players. Few would have imagined Mikel would actually go on to spend 10 years at Chelsea while lifting the likes of the Champions League and several Premier League titles.

An attacking midfielder for the Nigerian national team, Mourinho tried to mould Mikel into a Claude Makelele replacement, while it was pretty clear that he was never going to be the one. It appears that the 29-year-old is becoming an attractive option for various clubs across Europe. His contract expires in the summer and his current situation would lead to the consensus that a new deal is not going to come.

The Sun recently reported that Manchester United have become the surprise destination for the Nigerian. Ironically, Mikel signed up for United before ending up at Chelsea in a protracted transfer, for which the blues had to pay £16 million. United officially announced the deal to bring in Mikel – by overlooking his agents – in January 2006 for £4 million, but Chelsea were prepared to pay over the odds in order to sign the teenager.

Despite being recently named on the bench for the game against West Ham United, Bastian Schweinsteiger looks set to leave United even as early as in January. The same applies for players like Morgan Schneiderlin, and it would leave United short on numbers in the defensive midfield position. As a free transfer, Mikel would certainly bring in a lot of positive qualities while also allowing United to invest money elsewhere on the pitch.

Clubs like Inter Milan are also thought to be interested in the Nigerian. The Italian outfit may be able to offer regular first team football, but the prospect of reuniting with Mourinho may be hard to turn down.

Since Mourinho returned to Chelsea for a second spell in 2013, Mikel made 62 appearances in the two full campaigns. Under Guus Hiddink as the interim manager last season, Mikel was a regular first team player.

Written by Bharath Rammr

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