Mikel set to join Chelsea's coaching staff after Abramovich offers him a role when he quits playing

FORMER Super Eagles skipper Mikel Obi could be joining Chelsea as a coach shortly after Russian owner Roman Abramovich approached him with an offer to join the club's coaching staff when he quits playing.

Currently playing for Turkish side Trabzonspor who are battling for the league title, Mike4l, 33, spent 10 and a half years at Chelsea, becoming one of their longest-serving players. As a reward for his dedicated service and loyalty, Mr Abramovich has apparently offered Mikel the opportunity to join the Chelsea coaching crew when he decides to hang his boots up.

Babawo Mohammed, Mikel's Nigerian representative, said: "For now, Mikel is pushing to win the league with Trabzonspor but in the future he will return to Chelsea as a coach maybe with the youth team or as one of the assistants of the first team. That promise was made to him by Abramovich.

"At the end of his career he will do his coaching badge and join Chelsea as a reward for his ten and half year stay at the club. A lot of former Chelsea players are part of the team now based on the same thing that will bring Mikel back after his career."

He added that at the moment all of the backroom staff of Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard are former players of the club and even the youth teams is coached by ex-players. Mikel’s former teammate Petr Cech is a director at the club, although Chelsea failed in their bid to lure Didier Drogba and Claude Makalele to join Lampard when he was appointed coach in the summer.