Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel is advising his fellow Nigerian Victor Osimhen to move to the Premier League this summer and turn down a lucrative move to Saudi side Al-Hilal.
Osimhen - described as being "world-class" by Jose Mourinho - is yet to agree terms with Al-Hilal, and is also being courted by Galatasaray, where he spent last season on loan. Chelsea and Manchester United have been heavily linked as well, with the Blues attempting to sign Osimhen on deadline day last summer.
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**"**I think Chelsea have decided to go in a different direction now," said Mikel, speaking to GIVEMESPORT ahead of the Club World Cup where he's working as a pundit for the tournament's exclusive global broadcaster DAZN.
"Liam Delap has now come in, but I have always said if Chelsea signed Osimhen, he'd come in and hit the ground running straight away. I hope this happens with Delap as well, and that his arrival brings the best out of Nicolas Jackson. I want to see a great partnership between both of them, pushing each other in training and on the field.
What I really want for Victor, is to see him in the Premier League. I want to see him play for Chelsea, his boyhood club. He grew up with Didier Drogba as his idol.
I would love to see him play at Stamford Bridge. And then there's Manchester United or maybe even Arsenal who could be in the market for him.
"Unsurprisingly, Victor is a guy in demand. He's not short of options this summer. I can tell you, Saudi Arabian clubs have been chasing him for a very long time. They made so many offers in previous windows, and yet he refused to go.
"I told him, 'You still have time to play in Saudi one day, so just stay in Europe for now and come to a top club like Chelsea!' I think the best thing for Victor right now is to fight for Premier League and Champions League titles. And then, maybe after three or four years, go to Saudi.
"It's hard to turn down the kind of money on offer there. You're talking about up to €50 million a season. That's crazy! It's life-changing money. But filling your trophy cabinet is equally important. As a top footballer, you want to finish your career knowing you won the biggest trophies. Let's see what happens. But of course, if Al-Hilal can convince him, we'll see Victor at the Club World Cup and that will be exciting."
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DAZN struck a $1 billion deal for the global broadcast rights to all 63 games of the inaugural Club World Cup, which starts on June 14 as Lionel Messi's Inter Miami take on Egyptian champions Al-Ahly at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium.
Should Osimhen join Al-Hilal, which is certainly not a given, he'll make his debut in a flagship fixture against Real Madrid. It will be the first game in charge of new Hilal boss Simone Inzaghi and Real coach Xabi Alonso, while Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dean Huijsen could be handed their Real debuts.
Chelsea, meanwhile, begin against Los Angeles FC in Atlanta in a match that will see French striker Olivier Giroud come up against his former club, while Manchester City open the tournament against Moroccan side Wydad in Philadelphia.
And newly-crowned Champions League winners PSG have the toughest opening fixture of all on paper as they face Atletico Madrid at the Rose Bowl Stadium in California.
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"When you look at all the fixtures, it's hard not to get excited," said Mikel. "I am over the moon to be involved with DAZN at such a massive tournament. DAZN are making some big moves in football, and the Club World Cup is going to be groundbreaking.
"I can't wait to see the PSG-Atletico game. What a job Luis Enrique has done, and Diego Simeone will relish trying to tactically outdo him. And all football fans want to see Lionel Messi on such a big stage.
"I am also looking forward to seeing some of the non-European teams, like Al-Ahly, Al-Hilal or Auckland City. I really hope we see a team, perhaps with slightly less of a global profile, that will just surprise everyone and set the tournament on fire.
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"And of course, there's Chelsea, who I believe can win the competition. It's a chance to get another new trophy having just won the Europa Conference League for the first time. And visually, what a trophy it is to get your hands on. You need a key to open it! It's truly one of a kind. Even the World Cup trophy doesn't have that.
"I would have loved to win this trophy. I think the players will be really incentivised and there is massive financial gain at stake for the clubs as well. Every single group-stage win earns clubs $2 million, and winning the tournament is worth $125m, and some of that money might go straight into the transfer window this summer."
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Chelsea come off the back of beating Real Betis 4-1 in Poland to win the Europa Conference League, and in doing so became the first ever club to win every piece of major domestic European silverware.
Now they stand a chance of being crowned the inaugural winners of the Club World Cup. The champion will also get a special gold badge which they can wear on their kit for four years until the 2029 edition of the tournament. Yet however Chelsea fare in America, Mikel believes securing Champions League football has already made Enzo Maresca's first season in charge a success.
"The season started well for Chelsea and I thought, 'OK, we're right up there!'," said Mikel, who made 372 appearances for Chelsea and won 11 trophies, including two Premier League titles and the 2012 Champions League. "But then we faded away over the festive period. I actually think that poor run was a much-needed welcome call.
"In my day, we knew the festive period was important because you could take a big step towards winning the Premier League. Chelsea's young squad just went off the boil and lost a bit of focus. All credit to them, though, because they recovered and finished in a Champions League spot and won the Europa Conference League. That means there is real confidence and momentum ahead of the Club World Cup."
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Mikel has been particularly impressed by fellow midfielder Moises Caicedo, who was named Chelsea's Player of the Season after starting all 38 Premier League games this season. Caicedo made 114 tackles, 49 interceptions, 53 clearances, 229 recoveries and won 236 duels. And the Ecuador international even scored in the Europa Conference League Final.
Chelsea have a competitive midfield with Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Enzo Fernandez competing for spots alongside Cole Palmer. Reece James has also been used in the centre of the park, while Dario Essugo will also join this summer from Sporting and Mathis Amogou has also been part of several match-day squads.
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"Peak Mikel in 2012 or 2013 would still get into this Chelsea midfield, despite the obvious quality they have," he said. "I'd pick myself over those guys. But all the midfielders' performances have been fantastic.
Caicedo is exceptional. He's grown into his position and plays with no fear. He breaks up play. He's very aggressive on the ball. You can see he's fighting for the shirt and for the club and wants to win games and trophies.
He looks like he could be captain of the football club one day, that's how highly I rate him right now. I just want to see him be even more vocal, leading with his voice not just his feet.
"I would also single out Enzo Fernandez. He didn't start the season well, but he finished it very strongly. He's started scoring goals, creating chances and is now one of Chelsea's main guys. And we all know Romeo Lavia when fit is outstanding. But I think there is still room for another box-to-box or ball-carrying midfielder, and Reece James is best as a right back in my opinion."
Although Caicedo won Chelsea's Player of the Season, Mikel has also singled out Marc Cucurella. The 26-year-old struggled initially following a £62 million switch from Brighton in August 2022, but has been a near automatic starter following an impressive Euro 2024 last summer as Spain beat England to win the trophy. Cucurella managed a career-high seven goals in a single season in 2024/25, with a particularly important header in Chelsea's 1-0 win over Manchester United in May keeping them on track for Champions League qualification.
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"There was this whole narrative around Chelsea being 'Cole Palmer FC', and what a signing he's been, but it's Marc Cucurella who has really impressed me this season, both defensively and offensively," said Mikel. "When he first joined I must admit I thought, 'Oh, what the hell is going on here?' But Chelsea were patient with him and that's paid off, and he now plays with such confidence and personality. Cucurella is getting better with every game and even chipping in with important goals. He seems like the kind of player that will love the challenge of winning the Club World Cup."
Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson will also be out to prove a point in America, especially now he faces competition from new £30m Chelsea forward Liam Delap. Jackson got 13 goals last season in all competitions, four less than in his first season at the club, albeit he played in 11 games less compared to 2023/24.
Jackson also came under criticism after being foolishly sent off in May's 2-0 loss at Newcastle for an elbow on Sven Botman. Mikel has previously questioned Jackson's ability as a natural finisher, but still feels the Senegal striker can become a top player for Chelsea.
"Nicolas has big potential and I never intended to disrespect him with previous comments," said Mikel, who scored six goals during his own time at Chelsea. "You can see there is a player there. He's good on the ball, quick and can run in behind. And he stretches defenders, which gives Cole Palmer more space. Now it's just about finishing more chances, and I actually think the competition with Delap will help him improve further. He needs to score more goals, and hopefully Delap's arrival with cause a positive reaction.
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Christopher Nkunku should also be a source of goals, but to be honest I think his time at the club is now done. I genuinely think he needs to move on.
There was a lot of hype about him when he joined from Leipzig. I was so excited when he arrived, but his time at Chelsea hasn't panned out well.
"Injuries haven't helped and you can see he doesn't like being played out of position. He's not a striker, he's a number ten. But of course, when you have Palmer in that position, you can't just take him out the side. It's time to sell Nkunku, get some money and then invest in a wide attacker. I am not so sure replacing Nkunku with another striker is wise because it's not good to have three established strikers all fighting for one position."
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Unsurprisingly, Mikel is predicting Chelsea to win the Club World Cup and tipping Boca Junior as a dark horse to watch. He also expects Trent Alexander-Arnold to make a statement after joining Real Madrid from Liverpool for €10m, while Erling Haaland is Mikel's pick to claim the golden boot.
The Club World Cup promises drama and global match-ups never seen before, and it is likely one of the European heavyweights will end up lifting the trophy for the very first time and in doing so walk away with Champions League-type money earned over just four compelling weeks of football.
"Apart from Chelsea, I am actually most excited to see Boca Juniors play, and they have a great game against Bayern Munich in their group. Their fans are going to be incredible. I can't wait to see them inside the stadium and I hope they go really far.
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"Manchester City are a bit of an unpredictable team to judge at the moment. I think Haaland will end up top scorer and that should set up a good run for them. Pep Guardiola is trying to put things right after a disappointing season and this is his chance to get a trophy and sort of salvage things. Although an established side, Manchester City could be a bit of an unknown quantity because Kevin De Bruyne will likely have left, Jack Grealish isn't going to be in the squad and a few new faces should come in before their first game [against Wydad].
"As for Trent, he's going to want to make an instant impression on Xabi Alonso and his debut will draw global attention, so it's going to be special to cover that on DAZN. Obviously, Trent's been at Liverpool for almost 20 years, won everything and did so much for his boyhood club. I know many Liverpool fans will disagree with me, but I just think that now it's time to celebrate him, including what he's achieved at Anfield.
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"Let's let go of the negativity around his departure. Remember, it wasn't only Trent leaving, Liverpool also let his contract run down, and it wasn't an ideal situation. But it's time to move on, and Trent announcing himself as a Real Madrid player at the Club World Cup can help do that.
It's going to be a bit weird seeing him play in white instead of all red, but I do think he could be one of the players of the tournament.
"And then I obviously predict Chelsea to win the whole thing! I think we can all see now that the project is now heading in the right direction. All these talented young players are starting to gel together as a team, and they have a good manager that knows how to handle and improve them. I like Enzo Maresca a lot. He needs to stay at the football club. We are only a couple of players short of being able to really compete for all the top trophies, but I would still like to see a bit more experience added this summer.
"I want to see us take the Club World Cup seriously and win it. I want to see Chelsea's best players performing at this tournament because doing so would round off an amazing season. And you simply can't win this tournament without beating some outstanding teams along the way. So, if Chelsea can become the first-ever Club World Cup champions, it would be a huge boost heading into next season, when I think we might start to get back to the Chelsea I remember, that always competed for and won silverware with regularity. And to leave America with a new gold badge on the shirt would be a constant reminder to all these young players every time they put the shirt on, and for four years, that Chelsea is a club for serial winners and nothing less."
Jon Obi Mikel is a pundit for DAZN during the Club World Cup, which takes place in America between 14 June and 13 July. All 63 games are available to watch for free, with sublicensed broadcast deals in several territories. Tickets are available to purchase here.
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