Nigeria and Chelsea star Mikel Obi could not arrive in Lagos on Wednesday for the Glo-CAF award night as originally planned. Instead, the midfielder will arrive in Lagos on Thursday aboard a regular flight but will depart from the country aboard a Chelsea flight specially arranged for him by the Stamford Bridge team.
An assistant to the player told our reporter that the team’s training schedule made it impossible for Mikel to be in Lagos on Wednesday.
He said, “He was meant to be here with us on Wednesday but he could not get clearance from the manager. The coach insisted that he trained with the team on Wednesday for the weekend before leaving and so an alternative arrangement had to be put in place.”
By the latest schedule, Mikel will not pass the night in Nigeria as he is billed to leave for London immediately after the event holding at the Eko Hotel in Lagos. The midfielder who scored his fourth Chelsea goal on Sunday against Derby County in an FA Cup match has been a regular in Jose Mourinho’s recent games and he is expected to play a major role on Saturday when they face Hull City in a Premier League match.
The Super Eagles player has been largely tipped to win the African player award ahead of the Cote d’Ivoire duo of Yaya Toure and Didier Drogba. Yaya also stayed back in England and played for Manchester City against West Ham in the League Cup semi-final match on Wednesday.
