John Obi Mikel has been with Chelsea since 2006 when he chose to join the Blues ahead of Manchester United from Lyn Fotball in Norway in a headline grabbing transfer deal. Mikel has gone on to be a dependable member of the Chelsea first team squad featuring more under some managers than others during his spell with the club. Mikel has only scored 1 goal for Chelsea back in 2013 vs Fulham but he is that solid midfield presence who rarely makes mistakes and does the simple things right. He has won the title twice with the Blues and added a Champions League as well as 4 FA Cups amongst other honours.

Despite all his silverware Mikel has found it hard to make an impression under new boss Antonio Conte. The midfielder has yet to make a Premier League appearance under the manager. Naturally, talk had begun of Mikel heading for the exit door at Stamford Bridge and as reported by Sky Sports he had this to say on the topic:

“(I) will wait and see what happens in January”

“For the first time in my career, this is happening to me and I have to stand up and deal with it. It is what it is but I’m training hard every day and always wish the team the best and I am happy we are doing well.

“I’ve been at Chelsea a long time. Managers come and go. These things happen in football so we will have to make that decision when January comes.”

So it remains to be seen what the future holds for John Obi Mikel but he has always been a pretty solid performer for Chelsea over his 10+ seasons and if he does leave he will do so with a great legacy from his time with the team. There will likely be a number of suitors for the Nigerian international if he does decide his future lies away from Chelsea.