Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has lashed out at the club’s current owners amid their dire form, comparing it to his playing days under Roman Abramovich.
Russian Abramovich sold the club amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine four years ago, with American firm BlueCo taking over. They have adopted an approach of buying young players on long contracts, but are yet to see the fruits of their approach.
It has led to poor form for the Blues this year, who are in a fight to qualify for Europe in any form next season when they had seemed destined to reach the Champions League.
And a lot of that, according to Mikel, is down to owners BlueCo. The former midfielder called for a players from his time at the club to be involved in the current set up to explain to the players what it means to represent Chelsea – but suggested that’s not possible.
‘It’s this thing of BlueCo not wanting anyone who represented the football club before and who helped build the club to what it is today,’ Mikel said on the Obi One Podcast. ‘They don’t want the people still, which is the wrong thing to do.
‘You need to continue that success. You need the people who knew what it took to build the football club to what it is today. You need the people to continue the success, the culture. We don’t have that any more.’
John Obi Mikel (second left) has claimed Chelsea are deliberately ignoring staff who were involved under former owner Roman Abramovich (centre)
Mikel has been a vocal supporter of John Terry being involved in the club, having been club captain during the Blues’ most successful era. The man himself, though, has confirmed he has not received a call to form part of interim boss Calum McFarlane’s staff after Liam Rosenior’s sacking.
Terry, who has a part-time consultancy role within Chelsea’s academy set-up, admitted in February he was frustrated to have been overlooked for a role on McFarlane’s staff against Man City – having worked alongside him with the Blues under-21s and under-18s.
Reacting to Rosenior’s dismissal and McFarlane’s interim role, meanwhile, Terry confirmed on TikTok that he has not been contacted about potentially having a role within the set-up.
‘I am not sure what Calum’s backroom staff is going to look like, I have not had a call, I have not had a message,’ Terry said. ‘I will be continuing my role in the academy, I will be in the academy tomorrow, a big couple of games coming up.
‘We will all get behind Calum, he did a great job away against Man City previously and we will get behind the boys because that is what we do.’
Mikel, meanwhile, said on Monday: ‘You need a voice – someone like John Terry. I keep saying it; he needs to be part of that football club in any capacity. He has to be.
‘Somebody who has been there, done it, won trophies, can sit young players down and tell them who we are. Nobody is doing that.’
The former midfielder also suggested the club have been left frustrated by some of his comments – including players who listen.
Mikel launched an impassioned rant amid the Blues’ struggles under their current ownership
‘They have to keep that DNA, that culture,’ Mikel said in an impassioned rant. ‘They can get upset as much as they want. I will keep saying it. The club can get angry with me as much as they want – which I know they do. But I am only saying it from a good place because I care for the football club.
‘I was there. Nobody is bigger than the football club. I gave my all for the football club for 11 years. I sacrificed. I missed important people’s birthdays. I gave my all. We won titles, we were successful – I am coming from a good place.
‘The players, the sporting directors, the owners, they can get upset as much as they want. But I am coming from a good place, I want us to continue to be successful. If I keep my mouth shut, it means I am happy with what’s going on. I am not.
‘I am not saying win today, win every season. but show me some sense of direction that we are moving forward. That we are pointing in the right direction, that we want to continue to be successful.
‘The DNA of the football club is gone. It’s not the same Chelsea that I know – the same football club that I love, that I played for. When you’re bringing in players, young, talented players, you need a voice, you need somebody who’s been there, who knows the football club, who can straight away tell you what the football club means.
‘The culture of the football club, the DNA of the football club. What the football club stands for. The community of the football club. The fans.’
