On his podcast and in interviews, former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has rarely held back when asked for his opinion on a matter.
Mikel has even angered Nicolas Jackson with some of his criticism of the Senegal international.
This week, he has been speaking about Chelsea again and said some very interesting things. For example, Mikel discussed Chelsea’s midfield and claimed that in his prime he would get in it over any of the team’s current midfielders.
The 38-year-old has also called for his former club to axe one of their current stars after his struggles in west London.
John Obi Mikel tells Chelsea to offload Christopher Nkunku
Since their takeover, several of Chelsea’s big-money signings have not worked out, including Christopher Nkunku and Joao Felix.
Nkunku could now join Juventus or another club this summer, and Mikel thinks it is the right time for the forward to leave.
On Nkunku, he told GiveMeSport: “Injuries haven’t helped and you can see he doesn’t like being played out of position. He’s not a striker, he’s a number ten. But of course, when you have [Cole] Palmer in that position, you can’t just take him out the side.
“It’s time to sell Nkunku, get some money and then invest in a wide attacker. I am not so sure replacing Nkunku with another striker is wise because it’s not good to have three established strikers all fighting for one position.”
Nkunku scored 14 times across 42 appearances last season, but most of his goals came in cup competitions. The Frenchman struggled to make an impact in the Premier League and was only handed nine starts by Enzo Maresca.
Although his preferred position is not centre-forward, Nkunku can play as one. It means an exit is more likely now following Liam Delap’s arrival from Ipswich Town.
Enzo Maresca’s stance on Christopher Nkunku
With Delap and Jackson able to play up front and Palmer and Estevao Willian capable of operating in the No.10 role, it is hard to imagine Maresca denying Nkunku a move.
However, it has been reported that Maresca is against selling Nkunku to Arsenal or any of Chelsea’s other English rivals.
Nkunku has been linked to the likes of Arsenal and Newcastle United, but they may have some persuading to do if they are planning to sign the France international.
All in all, though, it would probably be best for Nkunku to move on, as it has just not worked out for him at Chelsea.
