5 Players Most Likely To Leave Chelsea This Summer

2. John Obi Mikel

One of the longest serving players at the club outside John Terry and Petr Cech, Mikel doesn't always get the respect he deserves for being a calming, secure presence in the middle of the field. His passing stats are outstanding, he's terrific at winning the ball back and is never out of position. So what has he done to deserve a place on this list? Unfortunately, his slow and steady style of play is looking increasingly outdated at a time when football is heavily gearing towards energy and mobility, with high pressing and quick counter-attacking coming to the fore in modern tactical thinking. If a snail said Mikel had no pace, it would still be understatement of the year. He rarely plays anything other than the safest, most conservative passes and slows the game down every time the ball reaches him, which can be an asset in certain kinds of situation but not when one of the areas of their game Chelsea need to improve is releasing the ball faster and more creatively. Mikel is a good player, but a little too one-note for his own good. At 27 years old, he could probably attract a decent fee while opening up an opportunity for the likes of Van Ginkel to step into.