Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has criticised the club’s decision to overlook Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen in favour of a less proven option ahead of their Club World Cup campaign, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Speaking to The London Standard, Mikel, who spent over a decade at Stamford Bridge, expressed disappointment that Chelsea have opted to sign 22-year-old Liam Delap from Ipswich Town for £30m rather than invest in an established goalscorer like Osimhen.
Chelsea will travel to the United States on Friday to compete in the FIFA Club World Cup, buoyed by their recent UEFA Conference League triumph. However, Mikel believes that to truly compete for global honours, Chelsea must prioritise proven firepower.
“For me, the Club World Cup is another trophy to be won,” Mikel said.
“Of course, Chelsea compete to win. It’s £100m if you win it. That gives a massive advantage against other Premier League teams. Winning trophies is the culture of Chelsea Football Club. That’s what we do. That’s what we are.”
Despite acknowledging Delap’s effort and potential after his 12-goal return for a relegated Ipswich side last season, Mikel questioned whether he is ready for the demands of leading the line at a club of Chelsea’s stature.
“I just hope that it’s going to be the right decision,” Mikel remarked.
“I like Liam Delap. He’s a good young striker who works his socks off. But is he a proven goalscorer in the Premier League? Can he do it at a big club like Chelsea? That’s the question. It’s about how the manager works with him and develops him.”
Mikel has consistently championed Osimhen’s suitability for Chelsea, and he did not hold back in reiterating his stance, suggesting the club may have missed a golden opportunity.
“With Victor Osimhen, if you want the finished article, someone who can come in straight away, get you goals, win you trophies, and put you in the top four, you have to pay the big bucks. That’s what the big clubs do,” he said.
While Osimhen’s hefty wage demands have reportedly cooled interest from several elite clubs, Mikel insisted Chelsea’s DNA demands immediate success and that the Napoli striker fits that bill perfectly.
“If you want somebody to evolve over the next two, three, four years, which is what the club has done, then that also makes sense. But Chelsea Football Club’s culture is winning straight away. If you want to win, you have to bring in a Victor Osimhen.”
Mikel, who lifted the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup with Chelsea, questioned Delap’s readiness to shoulder the club’s ambitions.
“Delap is a great young striker, but you have to wait and see if he’ll do it at a big club like Chelsea. Did he do it this season with Ipswich? Of course, they got relegated. So there’s so much to take in,” he said.
Although he remains hopeful about Delap’s development, Mikel underlined that both fans and himself had hoped for a proven name to spearhead Chelsea’s attack.
“I hope he does well. But the fans and me, we would have liked to see a proven goalscorer — somebody who has done it in Italy, in Turkey — and could have come here and done it for the club straight away.”
When asked what Chelsea must address going into the Club World Cup, Mikel was clear.
“Scoring goals. It is as easy as that. We were one of the teams creating the most chances, but we didn’t take them. Scoring goals is the number one priority.”
While Osimhen is still available on the market for €75m, Italian news outlet, Gazzetta dello Sport, via Sport Witness, claims the Nigerian international is dreaming of an Old Trafford switch, with United studying a strategy to land him later this summer.
“United are ready to approach Napoli with a proposed player swap deal when the window reopens again on June 16. It’s claimed that United are ‘considering’ including Joshua Zirkzee in a ‘package deal.
“Victor Osimhen still sees himself as a major player in top-level European football, and that is where he envisions his future. Certainly not at Napoli, where he is officially due to return by mid-July for the start of the new season,” the outlet wrote.
The PUNCH
