One of the longest serving Chelsea players in Premier League history could be on his way out of the club. John Obi Mikel joined Chelsea in 2005 after a lot of controversy, but the Nigerian has not looked back and in his initial years was one of the best players at the club.
Things, however, seem to be taking a different shape and the last two-three years have not been the greatest and he could be thinking of a new club to play next season. With Antonio Conte coming in, he will bring in a number of players who will take up the starting spot at the club.
Mikel is still 29 years old and he could still play a couple of decent seasons at the top level. We look at three destinations where Mikel could end up and do really well.
AS Roma-
With Chelsea looking to sign one dynamic midfielder in Radja Nainggolan, it would not be a surprise to see the Nigerian move the other way. The Serie A has a history of giving second chances to the stars; even Gervinho did well in Serie A for a number of years.
Mikel might not have played as many games as he normally would have last season, but Roma could be a great option for him to play regular football without actually having to deal with a ton of pressure like he had at Chelsea.
Juventus
Speaking of a swap deal, this is one deal that can actually happen. We all know that Chelsea are interested in signing Paul Pogba and the Frenchman could be coming to London if they offer the right amount of cash and the right player also.
Juventus also have a history of doing well with free-agents and aging players, Patrice Evra and Carlos Tevez being one such example, so Mikel moving to the Old Lady does make sense. And more importantly, he will play Champions League football next season and would be guaranteed a Serie A title more or less with the Turn based club.
China
This might be an iffy move, but Ramires went to China for the money and even Ezequiel Lavezzi made the switch to the Far East and Mikel could be thinking about this as well. China is a growing market for the game and it would be a different experience for a player who has spent the majority of his career in England.
He would also have a lot of players of international quality in China and it would probably mean he is the star player at the club. Mikel might not be the star attraction like some of the other names but this move to China could be the best offer he does get.