Thursday, September 19, 2024 - Former Chelsea midfielder, John Mikel Obi has denied calling Nicolas Jackson a “bad player."
This comes after the Senegal international told him to 'shut
up' in a social media post.
Mikel criticised Jackson after the Blues 2-0 defeat to
champions Manchester City last month.
The former Nigeria captain said : ” We’ve played okay, not
perfectly, but okay.
‘We created chances but didn’t take them. Jackson’s
finishing is a in loopprime example. Even though he was offside, you could see
how he dribbled past one, two, three players and the way he struck the ball!’
‘You need a striker who knows how to put the ball in the
back of the net, and that’s what we’re lacking. I know I talk a lot about him,
and it might sound like I’m being disrespectful, but I’m not.
‘At Chelsea, we need a top striker who can score goals—a bit
like Haaland, who has scored 91 goals for City. That’s absolutely
unbelievable.”
Jackson responded by telling Mikel “to shut up” after scoring in the West London club 7-2 rout of Southampton the following week.
Mikel has now come out to defend himself stating that he
does not have bad intention towards the player.
“I’ve always said what I’ve said about Nicolas Jackson. He
is a good player, there is not once I have ever said he is a bad player,” the
former Super Eagles captain told beIN Sports.
“The only criticism is his finishing needs to be much
better. In terms of giving us what we want, being in the right place at the
right time, he does for the team.”
“It’s not coming from a bad place, it’s really constructive
criticism. But he doesn’t (see it that way). That’s why when he scored, he told
me to shut up!”
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