Reece James one of three Chelsea stars SLAMMED by club legend Mikel
Cameron Smith
- 11 Dec 2023 08:41 CST
- 3 min read
Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has slammed Reece James, Marc Cucurella and Conor Gallagher following the Blues’ 2-0 loss to Everton on Sunday.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side dominated the ball at Goodison Park, but goals from Abdoulaye Doucoure and Lewis Dobbin ensured Chelsea were condemned to their seventh league defeat of the season.
The result leaves the west London club down in 12th place in the Premier League table and they are now 14 points behind Manchester City, who currently occupy fourth spot.
Over €1 billion has been spent on new players since Todd Boehly became the club’s owner in 2022, but performances on the pitch haven’t reflected that enormous investment.
Furthermore, Mikel believes that several players are not up to the standard required at Chelsea.
What has been said?
Speaking on his podcast - The Obi One Podcast - Mikel slammed three current Chelsea stars in a full-blown rant following the defeat away at Everton.
“Conor Gallagher is a decent player,” he said. “Is he a Chelsea midfield player? Starting 11? Back in the day when we were playing would Gallagher get into the starting 11? No chance, I don’t think so.”
Furthermore, Mikel also took aim at Marc Cucurella, who joined Chelsea for €65.3 million last summer.
He admitted: “When you look at the left-backs we have had, Ashley Cole, Cesar Azpilicueta, William Gallas, you are talking about these players who have stayed at the club for many years, played so many games, and the standard they have set for that position. For me, he’s [Cucurella] not Chelsea standard.”
Finally, the Blues legend spoke about club captain Reece James, who was forced off due to another injury in the first-half of the game.
“You need your captain on the pitch,’ Mikel began. “He’s just come back from a long lay off, now he’s injured again. You need your captain fit. We don’t have that.
“We’re talking about leaders… John Terry did it for decades. He was always on the pitch, even when he was injured. Broken toes, ankle injuries, injections, treatment. He always wanted to be on the pitch.
“It was his job as a leader to make sure we win games and be successful. I don’t know what’s wrong with Reece.
“I’m a big fan of him but he needs to be fit. We need to figure out his injuries and make sure he stays fit. When he is fit, he is one of the best right-backs on the planet.”
Chelsea host Sheffield United on Saturday, aiming to end a barren run of three defeats in their past four games.
