Mikel not ruling out Egyptian Premier League move – ‘I do not reject any offers made to me’
Mikel not ruling out Egyptian Premier League move – ‘I do not reject any offers made to me’
The former Nigeria international enjoyed a trophy-laden spell at Chelsea and is not against the idea of heading to the North African nation
Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has left the door open for a potential move to the Egyptian Premier League in future.
The 33-year-old is a free agent after ending his contract with Turkish Super Lig club Trabzonspor by mutual agreement in March.
Mikel quit the Black Sea Storm after expressing his fears over playing football amid the coronavirus pandemic.
He was recently linked with a move to Brazilian side Botafogo who showed interest to sign him but the ex-Tianjin Teda captain claimed he was yet to make a final decision.
During a chat with Egyptian media outfit OnTime Sports, the two-time English Premier League winner was quizzed about a potential move to the Egyptian top-flight.
“Playing in the Egyptian Premier League? Why not?” said Mikel as reported by Kingfut.
“I am a professional footballer and everything is possible. I never ruled anything out.
“My goal is to continue playing football, and I hope I will have the opportunity, I do not reject any offers made to me, but rather study them well until I make the right decision.”
Mikel left Chelsea after more than 10 seasons at Stamford Bridge. There, he made 374 appearances and won eight major domestic honours and two European trophies.
He returned to English football on a short-term deal at Middlesbrough, after a spell at Chinese top-flight outfit Tianjin Teda.
Having represented Nigeria at U17 and U20 level, he made his senior national team debut against Libya on August 17, 2005.
Mikel went ahead to feature in two Fifa World Cup tournaments and four Africa Cup of Nations finals, where he won the title in 2013 and bronze medals in 2006, 2010 and 2019.
He also captained the U23 team to a third-place finish at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
However, he retired from international football after helping Gernot Rohr’s Super Eagles to a third-place finish at the 2019 Afcon staged in Egypt.
The 2005 Caf Most Promising Talent of the Year is Nigeria’s fourth most-capped player after Joseph Yobo, Vincent Enyeama and Ahmed Musa after garnering 86 caps in 14 years of service with six goals to his credit.