Mikel John Obi is the latest Premier League star to seal a move to the Chinese Super League.
The Chelsea midfielder has confirmed he is signing for Tianjin TEDA after a decade playing at Stamford Bridge.
He revealed the news to Blues fans in a farewell letter which mentioned his fondest memories of his time at the club – and even included a gentle joke at his own goal-scoring record.
Mikel joined the club in 2006 when he was just 19-year-old from Norwegian Premier League side Lyn, but has not featured for the side under new boss Antonio Conte this term.
“As you will know, I haven’t featured as much this season as I would have liked, and at 29 I still have many years in the game ahead of me,” he said. “With this in mind, I feel now is the time to seek a new challenge.
“I’m delighted to be joining Tianjin TEDA FC in China, at a time that the Chinese Super League is really taking off, and I look forward to helping Tianjin TEDA FC continue to grow both on and off the pitch in the next few years.”
In his letter he mentioned some of his best moments in a Blues’ shirt, including the Premier League titles, FA Cup wins and of course the astonishing Champions league victory against Bayern Munich in 2012 – and referenced his own, modest goalscoring record.
“Every achievement I have been part of in my time at Chelsea holds a special memory: my first goal, against Macclesfield in 2007 (even though there were only five more after that!).”
Read his full letter here:
A letter to my Chelsea family. 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/FhcUyq3iaV
— Mikel John Obi (@mikel_john_obi) January 6, 2017
Mikel becomes the second Chelsea player to leave for the Chinese Super League this month, after Brazilian midfielder Oscar joined Shanghai SIPG for £60m.
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