Peter Henry
Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel feels that Antonio Conte treated him with a lack of respect after taking over at Stamford Bridge.
Mikel caused massive controversy in 2006 when he reneged on an agreement to join Manchester United from Norwegian side Lyn, and instead joined Chelsea.
The Nigeria international would enjoy over a decade of success with the Blues, winning two Premier Leagues, three FA Cups and the Champions League.
However, Conte made it pretty clear that he did not rate Mikel after taking over the reigns at Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2016, and he was allowed to join Chinese Super League side Tianjin in the January of 2017.
Despite the 31-year-old obviously feeling mistreated by his former coach, he still maintains massive affection for Chelsea.
“Definitely it was the right time [to leave] because when you have a manager who…you have to come in whoever you are – manager or player – there are people who have been there before who made this club what it is today,” he told the Sun.
“Chelsea is nowhere near what it was 10, 15 years ago. There are players that build and build and build, then it’s all about respect.
“When you don’t get that from a manager who comes in and after five minutes decides to make a change you deal with it, you move on.
“My connection with the club has not changed because of the manager or because of a certain person.
“My relationship with the club remains. I am a blue and I want to remain that way for years and years to come.”