Former Chelsea and Super Eagles player Mikel Obi talked candidly about his last season at Stamford Bridge, which was managed by former Blues boss Antonio Conte.
Prior to Conte’s arrival in the summer of 2016, Obi had made 33 appearances. However, during his last days at Stamford Bridge, the Italian managed to play just zero minutes.
There were a number of speculations as to why the defensive midfielder was dropped by the team, so it was nice to hear straight from the source when Obi addressed the matter on Rio Ferdinand’s podcast.
Speaking to Ferdinand, Mikel Obi said: “When Conte came in, myself and Victor Moses got invited to play for Nigeria at the 2016 Olympics.
“Conte made it clear that if we went to the Olympics, we would not be part of his plans for the season because he needed to think about the club.”
Obi went on to explain that after discussing with Moses, he advised his younger teammate to stay back to secure his club future, while he went on to represent Nigeria in Rio.
“After I came back from the tournament, Conte never spoke to me and sent me to train with the reserves, at that point I knew my time was up.”
The midfielder also added that the manager tried to persuade him to return to the team after several months out; an offer which he refused.
Chelsea eventually went on to win the Premier League in Conte’s first season, with Mikel Obi’s replacement N’Golo Kante playing a significant role and providing a seamless transition into life without the former Super Eagles captain.
