Mikel says Chelsea's £125m miss leaves them suffering

Former Nigeria midfielder John Obi Mikel has accused Chelsea of “suffering” after the club, despite having £125 million available, failed to secure a replacement for departing midfielder Enzo Fernandez during the summer transfer window. The criticism came as the Blues, under new owner BlueCo, added twelve new signings but still lack a midfield anchor.

Summer overhaul and midfield void

The Blues brought in twelve new faces over the window as BlueCo aimed to give new head coach Xabi Alonso the tools to push up the Premier League. A tenth‑placed finish last season saw Chelsea finish out of Europe and lose key players Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez.

Defensive reinforcements arrived in Emiliano Martinez and Maxence Lacroix, yet the midfield remained thin, leaving a gap that the club has yet to fill.

Early campaign exposes defensive frailties

Chelsea opened the new season with victories over Fulham and Brighton, but a defeat to Arsenal followed by a home draw with newly‑promoted Hull City signalled a dip in form.

Midfielder Moises Caicedo has featured for only fourteen minutes this season, a scarcity Mikel highlights as a core issue.

Mikel blames £125m miss and lack of holding players

Speaking on the Obi One podcast, Mikel said: “We are missing Mo. When we get him back, I think we will be a much, much more solid team… that energy that he brings, breaking up play, is just what Declan Rice does for Arsenal.” He added that a last‑minute attempt to sign Lamine Camara fell through and that Chelsea “failed” despite having £125 million in the bank.

He warned that relying on attacking talents such as Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Joao Pedro to defend would drain their energy, insisting the side needs at least two holding players to protect the back‑four.

Mikel concluded that the return of Mo will make Chelsea “much, much better”, reducing the flood of goals they have been conceding and allowing the Blues to win games by two‑nil rather than four or five.