Middlesbrough are set to sign former Chelsea hero Mikel after he reportedly rejected Championship duo Aston Villa and Derby.
John Obi Mikel turned down offers from Aston Villa and Derby County before returning to England with Middlesbrough, according to The Sun (January 23, page 51).
The Nigeria midfielder has agreed a deal with Tony Pulis’s side and will join until the end of the season, sealing an unexpected second spell in English football two years after he left Chelsea for Chinese Super League outfit Tianjin TEDA.
But Middlesbrough were not the only Championship promotion hopefuls in the running to land the experienced Mikel.
The Sun claims that Aston Villa and Derby were hoping to snap up the 31-year-old on a free transfer.
And the Midlands duo might have felt they had a chance given that two of Mikel’s former Chelsea teammates, John Terry and Frank Lampard, are now working as coaches at Villa Park and Pride Park respectively.
Whether they will be mourning Mikel as ‘one that got away’ remains to be seen.
Villa and Derby are not short of options in central midfield and it is uncertain whether the 2012 Champions League winner is still cut out for the hustle and bustle of England’s second tier.
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