Former Super Eagles Captain Open To England Return

Although Derby County failed to land their target in the form of John Obi Mikel during January transfer widow, the former Chelsea midfielder remains open to a return to English football.

The former Nigeria skipper John Obi has been out of the game since leaving Turkish side Trabzonspor in March after insisting life was more precious than returning to football without proper protocol in place to save players from the pandemic.

But Obi has maintained his training schedule and says he is keenly looking at the offers on the table including some from England.

“Yes, there are interested clubs and England is a strong possibility and why not,” Mikel told BBC Sport.

“We are currently in talks with clubs and there is absolutely no hurry. I can only wait to see what happens.”

Although the 33-year-old was heavily linked with a move to the English Championship side and join coach Phillip Cocu’s troops, the move failed to materialize at the last hour in January.

Mikel enjoyed a trophy-laden 11 years at Chelsea earlier in his career, winning the Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League and Europa League.

He also had a brief spell with Middlesbrough in the Championship during the 2018/19 campaign, featuring 19 times, scoring once.