Chelsea Manager Antonio Conte has praised Nigerian midfielder, John Mikel Obi’s attitude at Chelsea for period he’s worked with him.
The Nigerian International completed a move to Chinese Premier League club, Tianjin TEDA on Friday but the Chelsea manager believes this is just a new challenge for the 29-year-old.
In a press conference on Friday, Conte who is clearly not a fan of Chinese big money transfers was quick to praise the midfielder’s attitude saying,
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“I want to say thanks to Obi, for this period when he worked with me.”[/perfectpullquote]
“He showed great attitude I wish him and family the best.”
“I hope that these offers from China finish with Mikel and Oscar,”
The Super Eagles captain who was well loved at the Stamford Bridge for his ruthless tackling completed his permanent transfer to Tianjin TEDA after a decade at Chelsea and will be earning around £140,000-a-week.
An emotional Mikel later took on social media and posted an emotional farewell massage to the fans thanking them for all the great moments he’s had at the side.
“To play for Chelsea, to become part of the Chelsea family, to work with some of the best managers and players in the world, has truly been an honor.”
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“Every achievement I have been part of in my time at Chelsea holds a special memory: my first goal, against Macclesfield in 2007 (even though there were only five more after that!).”[/perfectpullquote]
He concluded his Twitter Pots saying,
“To everyone at Chelsea – goodbye, and thank you,”
“You will always be part of who I am, and I wish you the best of luck,”
Mikel hadn’t featured for the current English Premier League leaders in any competitive game this season. He was sidelined after the arrival of Ngolo’ Kante from Leicester and with Nemanja Matic back to full form, there was no possibility of him breaking into the first eleven.
One of the many viral videos (the famous Head Tennis challenge) Mikel was part of while at Chelsea.
Mikel once again hit social media today thanking everyone at the club for all the incredible moments he’s had with them and assured them they’d always be a part of who he was.
