{"id":282283,"date":"2017-01-06T12:23:08","date_gmt":"2017-01-06T12:23:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=282283"},"modified":"2017-01-06T12:23:08","modified_gmt":"2017-01-06T12:23:08","slug":"mikel-obi-chelsea-midfielder-makes-chinese-super-league-move","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/01\/mikel-obi-chelsea-midfielder-makes-chinese-super-league-move\/","title":{"rendered":"Mikel Obi: Chelsea midfielder makes Chinese Super League move"},"content":{"rendered":"

Midfielder John Mikel Obi has left Chelsea to join Chinese Super League side Tianjin TEDA.<\/p>\n

The 29-year-old Nigerian has played 372 times for Chelsea since joining in 2006 but has not featured this season.<\/p>\n

He said it had been “an honour” to play for the Stamford Bridge club but it was time to “seek a new challenge”.<\/p>\n

Mikel has won two Premier League titles, four FA Cups and the 2012 Champions League during his time at Stamford Bridge.<\/p>\n

“I haven’t featured as much this season as I would have liked and I still have many years in the game ahead of me,” Mikel wrote on Twitter in a message to Chelsea fans.<\/p>\n

“With this in mind, I feel now is the time to seek a new challenge.<\/p>\n

“I’m delighted to be joining Tianjin TEDA FC at a time that the Chinese Super League is really taking off, and I look forward to helping Tianjin TEDA FC continue to grow.<\/p>\n

“To play in the Premier League is every professional player’s ambition.<\/p>\n

“But to play for Chelsea, to become part of the Chelsea family to work with some of the best managers and players in the world, has truly been an honour.<\/p>\n

Mikel is the second Chelsea player to move to the Chinese Super League in recent weeks following Oscar’s transfer to Shanghai SIPG.
\n–
\nBy: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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