Jose Mourinho Explains How Mikel Obi Signed for Chelsea Over Manchester United

• John Obi Mikel was close to signing for Manchester United before joining Chelsea
• The Nigerian star flourished at Stamford Bridge and won everything over 11 years
• Jose Mourinho has explained what instigated a transfer battle between the clubs

John Obi Mikel was close to joining Manchester United and was even pictured in their jersey before completing a move to Chelsea. His former boss, Jose Mourinho has explained why.

Fresh off his performance for Nigeria at the FIFA U20 World Cup in Holland in 2005, Mikel was at Lyn Oslo in the Norwegian league when the two big clubs in England came calling.

The Blues won the battle for his signature and he went on to have a successful career at Stamford Bridge, winning 11 trophies in 11 years at the club.

Jose Mourinho's expert prediction about Arteta's sucess at Arsenal resurfaces

Football

Mourinho explains how Mikel joined Chelsea

Mourinho teamed up with his former player on the Obi One Podcast, providing an unknown angle to a famous story among the fans.

"The first time I saw him was quite fun; he was hiding in training, and one day, I asked for a young player to make training work well. I was told about a Nigerian guy hidden in Norway," he said.

"The first question I asked was, 'He's 17; is he physically strong enough?' and they said 'yes'. I asked for him to come. I was expecting a normal player, but I saw immediately that he was not normal."

The potential within Mikel had also clearly caught the eye of legendary Man United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson:

"[Ferguson] also saw that he was not normal and there was a fight that was not normal over him, but it all ended in a good way for him at Chelsea. He stayed 11 years and won everything and his money," Mourinho continued.

From dream move to despair: How Junior Firpo's move to FC Barcelona fell apart after just 2 seasons

Football

Mikel played 119 games under the AS Roma boss, the most he played under any manager in his career, with only Carlo Ancelotti coming close with 72 games.

Per Goal, the Blues are no stranger to transfer hijacks, having also snatched Willian from the grasp of Tottenham Hotspur and Mykhailo Mudryk from Arsenal.

Exciting news! We have a WhatsApp channel 🤩

➡️ Click to join our channel for all your favourite sports news.

Why Mourinho played Mikel as DM

Sports Brief also reported on why Mourinho converted Mikel to DM despite the promise he showed as an attacking midfielder in his youth days and his position with the national team.

The Special One described the former Nigerian captain as a fantastic positional midfield player who possessed every quality he admired in a player in that role, which led to the change.