Nigeria’s John Obi Mikel has returned for a third spell in English football by signing a one-year deal with Stoke City. The former Chelsea midfielder, who won eight major honours during his 11-year spell at Stamford Bridge, is the Championship club’s fourth signing since the end of the 2019-20 season, reports Sportmail.
Stoke boss Michael O’Neill said: ‘We’re delighted to bring Jon to the Club. His playing career speaks for itself and underlines his calibre as a player. ‘I was really impressed with him when we met for the first time and he outlined what he wants from the next phase of his career.
‘We spent four hours talking and he made it clear he wants to get back into the Premier League and finish his career there and hopefully he can do that with Stoke City.’ Since leaving Chelsea for Chinese club Tianjin TEDA in January 2017, Mikel, 33, had a short stint with Middlesbrough before joining Turkish side Trabzonspor on a two-year deal in the summer of 2019.
Yet Mikel left Trabzonspor in March after agreeing to end his contract. Shortly before that development, Mikel had expressed concerns on social media about the Super Lig’s decision to continue playing during the coronavirus pandemic.
He wrote: ‘I do not feel comfortable and do not want to play football in this situation. Everyone should be home with their families and loved ones in this critical time. Season should be cancelled as the world is facing such turbulent times. There is more to life than football.’ The Super Lig was eventually suspended after the round of games on March 15, resuming nearly three months later.
So far this transfer window, they have already secured the signings of Morgan Fox, James Chester and Steven Fletcher on free transfers as O’Neill hopes to push the club closer towards the automatic promotion and playoff places this season.
