Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has revealed why Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah struggled to settle at Stamford Bridge.
- The Premier League stars had a stint in shorts for Chelsea
- De Bruyne always ‘angry and sulky’
- Mourinho made Salah cry
WHAT HAPPENED? Obi Mikel has spoken at length about the struggles of De Bruyne and Salah during their time at the club. Salah played for the Blues from 2015-16. De Bruyne made just three domestic appearances in a two-year period from 2012-14.
WHAT THEY SAID: The defensive midfielder revealed to Obi One Podcast that De Bruyne’s attitude prevented him from settling into the side.
“I think De Bruyne wasn’t the best coach then. He was someone who comes to training and probably because he didn’t play that much, always with his head down, always angry and sulking,” said Obi Mikel. “He was like a kid who came to the playground and nobody wanted to play with him.”
Obi Mikel also recounted a spat in training between De Bruyne and Samuel Eto’o. “I remember when Samuel Eto’o was playing him against him and they had a huge fight on the pitch just because [De Bruyne] he didn’t put in the effort that Eto’o wanted, so they had a huge fight on the pitch.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: The midfielder also claimed that then manager Mourinho’s aggressive attitude affected both players. “These [Salah and De Bruyne] they were so unlucky that the boss, Mourinho, took no prisoners. If you didn’t do your job, it didn’t matter who you were, he would have laid hands on you.
“He had one time at half-time with Mohamed Salah and he was crying. We thought, ‘OK, he’ll let him back on the pitch’, but then he destroyed the kid and then pulled him off. Just his mentality then. But would Mourinho do it now? I think not.”
IN THREE PHOTOS:
Getty ImagesGetty Images
Getty Images
WHAT’S NEXT? Chelsea face Blackburn in the last 16 of the Carabao Cup tomorrow, before traveling to Tottenham on Monday.