Written by Bolaji Oyegunle, London
Saturday, 28 April 2012
THE future of Nigerian midfielder, Mikel Obi with Chelsea of England is hanging in the balance as the club plans total restructure next summer.
Saturday Tribunesports gathered that coach Roberto di Matteo is unlikely to be given the Chelsea manager’s job on a permanent basis even if his team lifts the Champions League Final trophy on May 19.
His exit will see the departure of many of the senior players. Mikel is listed alongside Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole, Michael Essien, Raul Meireles and Salomon Kalou for the exit door.
Such an overhaul is a massive task and the suspicion remains that giving di Matteo the position full-time would be too big a risk.
Di Matteo has impressed since stepping up from his role as assistant following the sacking of Andre Villas-Boas last month and is the fans’ choice.
Chelsea has won 10 and lost just one of the 14 games since he replaced the Portuguese, which includes a remarkable 3-2 aggregate in the semi-final last week and a 5-1 success against Tottenham in their FA Cup semi-final.