Mikel Obi to join Marseille in January

Jon Mikel Obi has not played for Chelsea since Antonio Conte took over

Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel is talks with Ligue 1 club Marseille over a January move, MirrorFootball has reported.

The Nigeria midfielder, 29, has been frozen out by Antonio Conte after playing for his country at the Olympics during the summer.

Nigeria head coach Gernot Rohr has claimed Mikel Obi is set to move to Ligue 1 on a free transfer despite having six months left on his contract.

He said: “I saw Obi Mikel in London. He is in advanced discussions with Olympique Marseille.

“He will leave Chelsea for free, this is a serious option.”

Mikel Obi hasn’t played a single minute under Conte at Stamford Bridge , having been with the club since 2006.

He signed for the London club after a dispute with Manchester United over his signature.

Chelsea agreed to pay United £12 million, half paid upon the finalization of the contract and the other half in June 2007, and Lyn £4 million, half payable immediately and half in June 2007.

On 12 September 2006, Mikel made his first start for Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League against Bulgarian club Levski Sofia and took a powerful shot which the goalkeeper failed to save and Didier Drogba pounced on the rebound.

Mikel received many positive comments for his performance in the match.

However, since being sent off in a match against Reading on 14 October 2006, Mikel was fined on three separate occasions by Chelsea for turning up late to training.

At the time, Chelsea manager José Mourinho was believed to have strong reservations about his lifestyle outside of Stamford Bridge, and the club were reportedly considering offloading the player.

Mikel was dropped for over a month, during which his father Michael voiced his concerns over his son’s behaviour.

After improved punctuality and showings at training sessions, Mikel earned a recall for Chelsea’s Champions League group stage away game against Werder Bremen on 23 November 2006.

He scored his first goal for Chelsea in their 6–1 FA Cup victory over Macclesfield Town on 6 January 2007.

He also scored against Nottingham Forest in the following round of the competition. During Chelsea’s triumph in the League Cup final in 2007, Mikel was sent off in injury time (having come on as a substitute) after clashing with Kolo Touré.

The incident was followed by a huge fracas, in which Touré and Emmanuel Adebayor of Arsenal were sent off, Cesc Fàbregas and Frank Lampard were booked and Mourinho and Arsène Wenger were involved in a kerfuffle on the pitch.

In subsequent games, Mourinho deployed Mikel as a starter in a holding role in key games where he impressed greatly, notably in the Chelsea–Tottenham Hotspur FA Cup sixth round replay.

He also shone in the Champions League quarter-final games against Valencia, the Champions League semi-final games against Liverpool and also the victorious 2007 FA Cup Final against Manchester United.

Mikel’s height and great strength, allied to good ball control and an unusually wide range of passing, allows him not only to disrupt opposing attacks, but also to spread the play effectively.

Mikel supplanted the French midfielder Claude Makélélé in the lineup following his departure to Paris Saint-Germain.