"Back then, you had to be 18 to sign from Africa, Mikel begins. I was 16, so Manchester United thought, OK, we will send you home for two or three months, then you can come back and train with the team for another two months'. They would do that until they found a proper solution. They sent me back to Nigeria, but then when I was at home, Chelsea found out where I was."
"Instead of sending me back home, though, like Manchester United did, Chelsea arranged for me to go to Norway for a while and play for Lyn Oslo. I had an apartment there and Chelsea were looking after me, my family and my friends. I had three Nigerian team-mates with me Chelsea sent them to Lyn with me to keep me company, so that I wasn't homesick."
John Obi Mikel emerged as a highly sought-after teenager after the 2003 FIFA U-17 World Championships. Manchester United believed they had secured him but could not register him because he was 16, so they planned to send him home temporarily. Chelsea located Mikel in Nigeria, sent an agent with a contract and offered trials, with Claudio Ranieri eager to sign him once he reached 18. Chelsea arranged for Mikel to join Lyn Oslo in Norway, provided accommodation and support for him, his family and Nigerian teammates to prevent homesickness. The transfer involved competing claims and logistical complications before Chelsea ultimately acquired him.
Read at www.fourfourtwo.com
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