Why is mikel is still in chelsea

Chelsea midfielder, Mikel Obi, would have left
Stamford Bridge at the beginning of the season
but the Blues were reluctant to sell him, the
player’s representative, John Shittu, has said.
Mikel has played bit roles for the Blues in recent
seasons. And he has been severely criticised by
the local media for not seeking first team
football elsewhere after he further fell down the
pecking order with the arrival of Cesc Fabregas
and Nemanja Matic in 2014.
The emergence of highly-rated youth player
Ruben Loftus-Cheek may also limit the
Nigerian’s chances at the English champions.
Mikel had reportedly agreed personal terms with
Arabian Gulf League champions, Al Ain, but the
deal fell through after the UAE side could not
meet Chelsea’s valuation of the 28-year-old.
“He would have left (Chelsea) at the beginning of
the season but the club refused to sell him
because they felt he was still important to the
team. And that was how we left it. So many
clubs came in but they didn’t want to sell. Now
we are going to look at the situation; how it
plays out and from there we can move on,”
Shittu said.
On the possibility of Mikel making a move away
from Stamford Bridge in January, Shittu added,
“Well, let’s see how it plays out.”
Big-spending Turkish club Fenerbahce were also
reportedly interested in the ex-Lyn Oslo man but
couldn’t meet Chelsea’s price.
“Chelsea want €15m and Mikel asked for €5m a
season, over four years. We are talking €35m.
This definitely is not something we can pursue,”
Fenerbahce chairman Aziz Yildirim was quoted
as saying by thenational.ae in July.
During his nine years at Chelsea, Mikel has made
over 340 appearances and won two Premier
League titles, the UEFA Champions League, UEFA
Europa League, four FA Cups and two League
Cups.
His output for the national team has also been
questioned, with critics saying he does not give
enough to the Super Eagles. Recently, Eagles
coach, Sunday Oliseh, benched the ex-Flying
Eagles star during the team’s 2018 World Cup
qualifier against Swaziland in Port Harcourt.
But Shittu insists Mikel gives his best to the
Eagles anytime he is invited to the team.
It’s not true (that Mikel doesn’t give enough)
because every time he comes to the team, he
tries to do his best and that’s what matters. The
coach decides who he uses, so it’s not a
problem if he doesn’t use Mikel in a game. What
matters is that the player will always give his
best to his country whenever he is invited,”
Shittu added.