Jose Mourinho’s failure to land Paul Pogba opened the door for John Obi Mikel to stay at Stamford Bridge.
Confident that they’d land Paul Pogba, Chelsea were poised to let go of one of their less-useful midfielders – a move they pulled the plug on when the Pogba deal fell through.
According to the Metro, Chelsea were set to sell midfielder John Obi Mikel to Besiktas before the summer transfer window closed to make room for Pogba. Ultimately, Mikel was kept on the squad after the Blues failed to come to terms with Juventus for the midfield megastar.
The Metro reported that Mikel was ready and willing to make the move but it was ultimately Mourinho that put a stop to the transfer. Though not viewed as a primary starter anymore, Mikel can still functional as a serviceable backup.
The 28-year-old Nigerian has been with the club since 2006, but last year had his first season with fewer than 20 BPL appearances and fewer than 30 total appearances.
Mikel won the Africa Cup of Nations for Nigeria in 2013 and helped lead his country to the knockout round of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
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