If there is one thing to be said for John Obi Mikel, it is that he is no stranger to difficult circumstances. The Chelsea midfielder is presently on an extended break, resting up from his World Cup exertions with Nigeria. Upon his return, he is sure to find the furniture at Cobham has been moved around quite a bit.

The world is, to this day, in awe of the genius of Harry Houdini, a master of escapology. He contrived the most difficult bonds and fantastical contraptions, and materialised from them unfettered to widespread adulation. However, a lot of his manacles were self-made. So it is with the Super Eagles’ number 10. The difference is people pay to see football in stadiums, not escape artists.

Not that magicians and footballers are much different. However, when expected to fulfil a role that indulges sleight of body and mind, Mikel conjured up no wonder in Brazil.

There have been reports that the London-based club are eager to get him off the books, and have slashed his asking price in a bid to generate interest. A year is a long time in football, and a decade seems a lifetime ago now for the 27-year-old, whose arrival to British football was in the wake of an acrimonious battle between Chelsea and Manchester United.

Mikel has gone from being sought after to being hawked around.

It is not hard to see why, neither is it overly surprising. Mikel has made a Blues’ career out of managing escapes, wriggling out of a hole he has steadily dug himself into. Under different managers, he has defied initial predictions of doom to stay relevant, but only just. The mental and emotional wear appears to have taken a toll: Mikel looked like a man running in treacle at the World Cup, and was completely unable to get to grips with the flow of the Nigerian team.


His contribution at Chelsea has also steadily petered out, and he now finds himself pretty much at the bottom of the Chelsea midfield pecking order. Oriol Romeu is back from one of those loans the club seems to specialise in; Marco van Ginkel is very highly rated, and may have gazumped Mikel already last season had he not injured his anterior cruciate ligaments; Nemanja Matic towers above him, physically and figuratively; and Ramires offers a staple all coaches love: tireless running round the clock.