John Obi Mikel Will Be The Playmaker For Chelsea - Carlo Ancelotti

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti feels that this season could be the campaign where midfielder Jon Obi Mikel steps forward and shows his qualities as a creative midfielder.


“I have a lot of trust in Mikel,” he told The Daily Mail. “I think he can be the playmaker of this team. He is a young player, but has great quality, both technical and tactical.


"For the present and for the future he is a very important player for us. We are very happy he has signed a new contract and I hope that he stays at Chelsea for a lot of years.


“I would like that he puts in his great quality for the team.”


Mikel was clearly pleased by his manager's praise, saying “It is a great honour that he sees something in me. He says I am a player with great qualities, but thinks I can be even better.”


“It is going to take a bit of time, but I am going to work very close with him to make it happen.”


"He likes the fact I am strong and can play with the ball, but says that I still need to add more things to my game — if I do that then he thinks I’m going to be fantastic.”


The Nigerian believes Ancelotti will finally bring a Champions League to Stamford Bridge, saying, “We have come close so many times and I think that is why the club have brought him here, to take us to that final step.”


"The way he has come in and the ideas he has as to how to set the team up, I think we can win everything."

John Mikel Obi commits future to Chelsea by signing new five-year deal

John Mikel Obi has become the latest Chelsea star to signed a new long-term contract with the club.

Former Blues boss Jose Mourinho had hoped to take Obi to Inter Milan and was prepared to pay the midfielder £60,000 a week, as revealed in Sportsmail in April.

But the 22-year-old Nigerian, who is thought to be on around £40,000 a week, will see his wages rise to around £70,000 a week after putting pen to paper on a five-year deal.

'It was easy to commit to because I am happy here and when the opportunity came it was good to sign after speaking to the club,' he said.

Chelsea have already secured Florent Malouda on a long contract this summer and Didier Drogba is expected to agree a new deal.

The Blues have also brought in Yuri Zhirkov, Daniel Sturridge and Ross Turnbull under new boss Carlo Ancelotti.

Joe Cole is also close to signing a fresh contract at Stamford Bridge.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1198080/John-Mikel-Obi-commits-future-Chelsea-agreeing-new-year-deal.html#ixzz0M0BaAAOS

John Mikel Obi commits future to Chelsea by agreeing a new five-year deal

John Mikel Obi is ready to sign a new five-year contract with Chelsea.

Former Blues boss Jose Mourinho had hoped to take Obi to Inter Milan and was prepared to pay the midfielder £60,000 a week, as revealed in Sportsmail in April.

But the 22-year-old Nigerian, who is thought to be on around £40,000 a week, will see his wages rise to around £70,000 a week when he puts pen to paper at Stamford Bridge in the next few days.

Obi's agent John Shittu said: 'He will sign the deal early this week. Some of the club officials were away but they were expected back last weekend. As soon as everybody is in, we will sign the new contract.

'It is a very good deal for him and would put him on a par with some of the top earners in the club.'

Obi is due to report back for pre-season training next week but is expected to cut short his summer break by a few days to sign the new deal.

Chelsea have already secured Florent Malouda on a new contract and Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Joe Cole and Alex will follow soon.

The Blues have also confirmed they have agreed an £18million deal with CSKA Moscow for Yuri Zhirkov.

Should 'Jay Jay' Okocha Come Back To Super Eagles?

The sweet science of boxing is very much known for its many stories of comebacks - a former champion, either out of pocket or simply bored and missing the limelight and public adulation, comes out of retirement to fulfil some new expectations.

Football itself has had its own fair share of comebacks, none more notable than that of Cameroon's Roger Milla, who at 38 was called out of retirement by his country's president to go on to score four goals as the Indomitable Lions reached the last eight of the 1990 World Cup in Italy.

The man who made famous the Makosa goal celebration also, at the ripe old age of 42, scored against Russia at the 1994 World Cup in the United States of America, making him the oldest player ever to find the back of the net at this level.

Nigerian football is replete with its own international comebacks - the likes of Christain Chukwu, Rashidi Yekini, Peter Rufai and Ben Iroha all returned to the Eagles fold with various degrees of success.

Austin 'Jay Jay' Okocha has also flirted with retirement from the international scene.

He first announced he will no longer wear the green-white-green shirt after he skippered an experimental Nigerian team which crashed out in the very first round of the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan.

He would then be pressurised to return to the Super Eagles in time for the 2004 Nations Cup in Tunisia, where he emerged as one of the shinning lights of the tournament as Nigeria reached the semi-finals.

He again hung up his international football boots after the 2006 Nations Cup in Egypt, months after he had failed to lead the Eagles to the World Cup finals in Germany as an unfancied Angola beat Nigeria to the punch.

Since his bow, the Eagles have struggled and struggled for creativity in the middle of the park.

Nigeria coach Shuaibu Amodu is not willing to risk it and throw youngster Rabiu Ibrahim in at the deep end, while the likes of Christain Obodo, Kalu Uche, Wilson Oruma and even the now more defensive-minded Mikel have yet to assert themselves as the old-fashioned no.10 or playmaker.

In the team's last three World Cup qualifiers, the Eagles clearly missed a player like Okocha, who could dictate the pace of the game
as well as use his vision and dribbles to create chances for what on paper is one of the most feared strike forces in Africa.

In Maputo in March, strikers Ikechukwu Uche, Osaze Odemwingie, Obafemi Martins and Obinna Nsofor ran around the artificial pitch like some headless chickens, deprived of any service from the midfield.

In the home game against the Kenyans, not known for their midfield play, the Eagles engine-room again struggled so much so that it needed old war horse Nwankwo Kanu to get the Eagles flying again in the second half.

It is now very obvious that Mikel is not the new 'Jay Jay', and if at all he has to line up for Nigeria, it would be as a defensive midfielder, the role he now occupies with Chelsea.

Kalu Uche appeared to have settled in at central midfield in the previous round of the qualifiers, but as the competition has intensified in the final round, it looks like he is a lot happier playing a more offensive role than to carry the whole team as playmaker.

That may well explain why with his Spanish team, Almeria, he is played as a second striker.

'Jay Jay', on the other hand, is one of the top cheer leaders of the Eagles as a member of a Presidential Task Force mandated to ensure Nigeria's flag flies high at South Africa 2010.

In a recent interview, he told me that one of the happiest days of his life was the day he hung up his boots for good. But he also told me he still enjoys the occasional kickabout with friends.

Probably, it would be asking too much of his 35-year-old body to return for the crunch World Cup tie against Tunisia on September 6 in Abuja.

But who says that this crowd pleaser should not again be convinced to come back to star for the Eagles in time for next year's World Cup.

His boots have been too big for any of the younger pretenders to fill.

Inter Boss Jose Mourinho Lands In Nigeria For Three Day Visit

Inter coach Jose Mourinho arrived in Lagos, Nigeria, on Friday for a three day visit as a guest of the Kwara Football Academy (KFA).

According to the BBC, Mourinho will be in the West African country from 3-5 July, seeking to encourage coaches and officials of the project, which is run by the Kwara state government.

The fans turned up to greet the former Chelsea boss and the rest of the delegation, despite the fact that he arrived two hours later than announced.

"It is a great landmark in the history of Nigerian football, as well as the KFA," Nkechi Obi, CEO of Premium Sports Marketing Services told BBC Sport.

"He is here with other coaches and trainers to conduct seminars and coaching clinics for indigenous coaches.

"We are positive that his presence will benefit the talented players in the academy and hopefully attract interest from international clubs throughout the world.

"Football fans, media and everyone involved with football will enjoy photograph and autograph sessions with the 'Special One' on this trip."

The trip, facilitated by DanJan Sports, is widely seen as an opportunity to expose the KFA to the rest of the world.

"The KFA epitomises what a perfect football academy truly is and Gestafute are happy to be associated with them," David Omigie of DanJan Sports explained. "We have seen what the visit of Manchester United and Portsmouth gave to Nigeria as a country in the past.

"The coming of Mourinho and KFA will bring a lot of positive attention to football in the country once again.”

Former Nigeria coach Clemence Westerhof is the director of the Kwara Football Academy, which is in Ilorin, the capital of Nigeria's Kwara State.

Mikel charged with drink-driving

The 21-year-old was stopped by police at 5.30am on Saturday, after being seen driving his Range Rover "erratically" near his club's ground in London's Fulham Road.

Later the same day, Chelsea beat Ipswich 3-1 in the fourth round - although Mikel was not part of the squad.

The Nigerian midfielder has since been charged and will appear in court on April 3.

He faces a year's driving ban or a jail term if the offence is deemed exceptionally serious.

A Chelsea spokesman told The Sun: "We are aware (Mikel) was arrested and charged. We want to establish the facts before we comment."

FIFA Begins Inspection Visit In Nigeria

The first stop-over by Warner's team on Friday was to the country's commercial capital Lagos. They will continue their inspection Monday in the capital city of Abuja. The other cities to be visited by Fifa officials include Kaduna, Kano, Calabar, Warri, Bauchi and Enugu.

This will be Fifa's third visit to Nigeria in respect to the Under-17 Championship. In earlier visits, Fifa officials have urged the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the tournament to upgrade existing facilities and infrastructure.

Nigeria will play host to the Fifa competition after the government rescinded an earlier decision to withdraw as hosts because they could not afford to do so. However, the budget to stage the event was drastically slashed with Fifa also assuring the government it will assist by footing some of the expenses.

The country's Vice-President, Goodluck Jonathan, is personally supervising the organisation of the championship.

Top Ten African Players Of 2008

10. Jon Mikel Obi (Nigeria & Chelsea)

The young midfielder showed some battling qualities many thought he did not have at the Nations Cup, where the Super Eagles barely made it to the last eight. Many predicted that he would not have a future at Chelsea following the shock departure of Jose Mourinho, but Avram Grant kept faith with him and this season Luiz Felipe Scolari has given him even more responsibilities, which he has relished in the absence of the injured Michael Essien.

9. Mohamed Zidan (Egypt & Hamburger SV/Borussia Dortmund)

He was unsettled at German Bundesliga outfit Hamburg last season, but his switch to Borussia Dortmund has seen him prove his class. He has already matched his three-goal tally for Humburg last season at Dortmund in just seven games. He was outstanding in his Nations Cup debut in Ghana, showing what a clinical and classy finisher he is, with two superbly struck goals in Egypt's opening group game against mighty Cameroon.

8. Frederic Kanoute (Mali & Sevilla)

He was named Africa's top star for 2007 by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in Lome, Togo - only because Drogba failed to attend the awards, being just next door in Ghana with Ivory Coast participating in the Nations Cup. Mali partly owe Kanoute their comeback after they failed miserably in the qualifers for the 2006 World Cup and so did not feature at the 2006 Nations Cup in Egypt.

7. Sulley Muntari (Ghana & Portsmouth/Inter)

The Ghana midfielder is back the familiar terrain of Italy, after leaving Udinese for a season at Portsmouth, where he won an FA Cup winners' medal. He has settled down at star-studded Inter without too much trouble. Earlier in the year, he played a major part for his country, too, as Nations Cup hosts Ghana went as far as the semi-finals, despite losing the inspirational Stephen Appiah through injury before the competition had even begun.

6. Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast/Chelsea)

Injuries and controversies made sure that the big man failed to match his performance of the 2006/07 season, when he was far and away the best African player. He has yet to reach his high standards again but when he does, it will be to the benefit of both club and country. Still, performed well for Chelsea and proved an asset whenever he was in the team.

5. Michael Essien (Ghana & Chelsea)

The former Lyon midfielder came into his own last season at Stamford Bridge, as Chelsea reached their first-ever UEFA Champions League final. He was also the heart and soul of an average Ghana Black Stars side that exceeded many expectations to reach the last four of the Nations Cup they hosted in February.

4. Amr Zaki (Egypt & Zamalek/Wigan Athletic)

Egyptian players are not known to be great travellers, but this Zamalek centre-forward has already made a success of his second shot at glory in Europe with some cracking goals for modest Wigan in the English Premier League. It is little wonder that he has now been linked with some of Europe's top guns by the time his loan deal at Wigan runs out, though Steve Bruce is understandably eager to keep the goal machine at the JJB Stadium.

However, it was his five-star showing at the Nations Cup that really got the world to take notice. He scored thrice as well as taught an Ivorian back-four complete with Arsenal's Kolo Toure a football lesson in the semi-finals of the tournament. Egypt went on to claim their second Nations Cup in a row.

3. Emmanuel Adebayor (Togo & Arsenal)

Filled the goal-scoring void left by French legend Therry Henry at Arsenal last season by scoring 30 goals in all competitions. However, the Gunners failed to land any piece of silverware. He has also kept Togo in the reckoning for a second World Cup finals appearance after putting four goals past Swaziland.

2. Samuel Eto'o (Cameroon & Barcelona)

Barcelona did not win anything last term and even wanted to make the Cameroonian star one of the scapegoats for this, but the three-time African Player of the Year has since proved he still knows his way to goal, with an incredible 14 goals in La liga already. Last season he was hampered by injury and even came close to leaving Camp Nou this summer.

At the Nations Cup in Ghana, he put to rest the all-time scoring record of 14 goals set by Ivorian striker Laurent Pokou by scoring a total of 16 and counting.

1. Mohamed Aboutrika (Egypt & Al Ahly)

He was the continent's best player in 2008. He may still be playing his club football in Africa, but no one can doubt the quality of this attacking midfielder, who has made it a habit to score the important goals - whether for his club Al Ahly or the Egyptian national team.

He scored the goal that won the Pharaohs the Nations Cup in Accra for an unprecedented sixth time and has been the heart of an average Ahly team, as they also won an unprecedented sixth Champions trophy. Besides these accomplishments, this 30-year-old has shown great consistency at the top since 2005.

Mourinho: Inter's Adriano/Drogba Switch With Chelsea Won't Happen

Speculation has been rife regarding a potential January swap deal which would take Chelsea striker Didier Drogba and Inter forward Adriano in opposite directions.

The pair are unsettled at their respective clubs and some feel they would both benefit from the switch. Drogba would, of course, hook up with mentor Jose Mourinho in Italy, while Adriano has been unsettled this season and a fresh start could be needed.

However, former Blues boss Mourinho has rubbished the reports.

Speaking to Sky Sports News, the Portuguese tactician said: "That is not true - it is merely speculation. No way - zero percent.

"At this moment, Adriano has nothing in his hands. We think he will be here on January 2 to work with us.

"Maybe he is not happy at living in an atmosphere that doesn't suit him, but he is a top player and I cannot open my door for him to go unless I have somebody to replace him."

Refusing to rule out an eventual move for Ivorian ace Drogba, who is working his way back into the Stamford Bridge fold after an injury-hit season, the 'Special One' added: "One day, if Didier has a clear situation [with Chelsea] - a club I love - and he is on his way out, then the door will be open for him.

"Everybody knows that he is one of my men and it won't matter which club I am managing."

Mikel Can't Risk Chelsea Job For Nigeria

Amodu excused Mikel from Nigeria's last two engagements - a World Cup qualifying match against Sierra Leone in Abuja and a friendly last month in Colombia.

"I have explained to the team (why I left him out) and they understand. I told them it could well be their turn next time. Remember we are not paying these players. If the clubs who are paying them so much money need them, we cannot afford to be selfish and put their jobs on the line. It's give and take," Amodu said in an interview published in FourFourTwo Nigeria Magazine.

"I was not in desperate need of him for those matches but when I am, I will be the first to put my foot down."

Amodu has met twice with Chelsea manager Luis Felipe Scolari and he admitted that they differ on Mikel's best position, whether as a defensive or attacking midfielder.

"Scolari feels he should play in front of the defence particularly in the absence of Michael Essien. I also played him in that position in the friendly match against Austria," Amodu said.

"Scolari admitted that he often has to shout at him to stay back in defence and not go forward.

"I want to believe that with the Eagles his best position is as an offensive midfielder even though he has the potentials to also play defensively."

He added: "The more positions he can play, the better for all of us.

"The problem will be how the player will quickly adjust when he plays for Chelsea and when he plays for Nigeria. That is the big challenge for both Scolari and myself."