Duro Ikhazuagbewith agency report
Former Super Eagles Captain, John Obi Mikel, 33, may return to play in the English topflight next season if West Bromwich Albion succeed in getting the former Chelsea midfielder to join them.
West Brom gained promotion from the Championship to play in the Premier League next season and have been linked with an interest to woo the midfielder to play holding role.
Although it is not yet certain to what extent talks have gone, sources close to
West Brom revealed yesterday that the vastly experienced Mikel with more than 350 appearances for Chelsea is top amongst players Manager Slaven Bilic hopes to fortify the team with.
Bilic is believed to be counting on the experience of free agent Mikel to help his midfield as the club return to topflight.
Interestingly, it is not only West Brom that have shown interest in Mikel who dumped Turkish Super Lig club Trabzonspor last March as a result of irreconcilable differences on the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to a report in UK’s Stoke City Sentinel, Sky Bet Championship club Stoke City are weighing up a move for Mikel also.
Stoke Manager Michael O’Neil is reported to be in search of a holding midfielder and Mikel appears fit into the kind of player on his radar.
After a spell in China’s Super League, Mikel returned to sign for Middlesbrough in a short-term deal in 2019.
He later linked up with Trabzonspor in Turkey before leaving on mutual agreement after insisting life was more precious than returning to football without proper protocol in place to save players from the pandemic.
There were also reports linking Mikel with a move to Braziian clubs Botafogo and Internacional.
