Mikel Obi Reveals How Antonio Conte Forced Him Out of Chelsea

Super Eagles legend John Obi Mikel has opened up on his Chelsea exit, revealing that former manager Antonio Conte played a decisive role in bringing his time at the club to an end.

Speaking on the Vibe with Five podcast, the ex-Chelsea F.C. midfielder explained that his situation changed immediately after Conte arrived, with the Italian making it clear he was no longer part of his plans.

Mikel Obi:

"Conte was the reason why I left. Once he came in, he was like, ‘you’re not playing anymore,’ then I left. Obviously, when I saw N'Golo Kanté coming to the club, I was like my time here is done."

"The only issue I had was when he came in. Victor Moses and I got invited to represent Nigeria at the Olympics, so I had a conversation with the club.

He (Conte) told me I would not play for the club anymore if I decided to go. he said, ‘I’m a new manager, I’m here, we need to think about the team and the club.’ he made it clear that my time was done if I chose to go."

"I told him, ‘You know what? I’ve been invited to represent my country at the Olympics,’ and he said, ‘Yeah, but if you go, just know that your time here is done.’"

"I had a hard time when I came back. He never spoke to me and sent me to the reserve team. I was training alone for a while, for about six months. I knew my time was done. I remember there was a period when the team started playing really badly."