John Obi Mikel’s Chelsea career, now in its tenth season, looked to be slowly winding down over the last couple years. Ever increasing rumors had him linked with moves left, right, and center, to Turkey or China or wherever else, though the player himself had every intention of seeing out the rest of his contract.
But then BFF Guus Hiddink returned to Stamford Bridge and turned the clocks back to 2009, at least in terms of Mikel’s importance (though another FA Cup win would be most welcome as well). So now, instead of a long goodbye, we might be getting a few more years of Mikel goodness. Several more years, in fact.
John Obi Mikel’s resurgence under Guus Hiddink has altered his situation at Chelsea with the club now considering the offer of a new deal. […] And such has been his form, and the fact he has proved he can be called upon at any time to do a job for the team, that the Blues powerbrokers are now giving real thought to the offer of a contract extension.
-source: Mirror
Mikel is 21st on the list of all-time appearances at Chelsea with over 350, and yet he will turn just 29 at the end of this season. This summer is his last chance at a long-term Chelsea extension. As one of the last few remaining members of the Old-ish Guard (alongside Branislav Ivanovic), it might not the worst idea to keep him around. He’s a solid, known quantity, whose experience could be invaluable.
SB NATION (We ain’t got no history)
