Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has launched a passionate critique of the club’s current direction under ownership group BlueCo, urging his former teammates to speak out.
In a recent episode of The Obi One Podcast, the former Nigerian international did not hold back in his assessment of how the Premier League side is being run, contrasting it with the Roman Abramovich era.
“If you love the club as much as you do, you should say something. The club is going in the wrong direction,” Mikel said. “I love this football club, it’s given me everything. I hope some of my ex-colleagues do the same.”
Mikel, who made over 370 appearances for Chelsea and won multiple Premier League and Champions League titles, alleged that the current ownership is actively distancing itself from figures associated with the Abramovich years—a move he believes is a fundamental mistake.
“BlueCo don’t want anybody who represented the club during the Roman Abramovich era who built the club to what it is today. They don’t want those people involved. That’s the wrong thing to do,” he argued. “You need those people.”
He concluded with a stark assessment of the club’s identity under the new regime: “The DNA is gone. I don’t recognise this Chelsea.”
