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According to the Express Chelsea are ready to splash the cash as Stamford Bridge owner Roman Abramovich looks to flex his financial muscles and attempt to push his West London club onwards and upwards towards both Man City and Man United at the top of the Premier League.

Despite Andre Villas-Boas’s fairly average performance as Blues boss the young Portuguese manager will be handed funds to mount significant raids to land four top class players either next month or more likely in the summer.

To help make way for new additions Villas-Boas will apparently listen to offers for seven of his first team squad. Among those said to be on their way are John Obi Mikel, Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou, Alex and Florent Malouda. There is also growing speculation that midfielder and fan favourite Frank Lampard may seek to leave after being told that he wasn’t guaranteed first team football.

Chelsea boss Villas-Boas is looking to reverse the ageing nature of the club’s squad and has brought in youngsters like Romelu Lukaku, Juan Mata and Oriol Romeu and has trusted more to youthful members of the squad he inherited, the most prominent example of which has seen youngster Daniel Sturridge go from strength to strength.

Chelsea owner Abramovich will reportedly hand Villas-Boas £150m to invest in the following four players.

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The kidnapped father of Chelsea and Nigeria footballer John Mikel Obi has been freed by police.

Officers raided a neighbourhood in the Nigerian city Kano on Monday where they found Michael Obi and arrested five suspects.

Obi was kidnapped on 12 August as he travelled home from work in the city of Jos, around 200 miles away from Kano.

He told reporters: “I started begging them but they beat me mercilessly. They kept me in a terrible place.”

The BBC’s Yusuf Ibrahim Yakasai said Obi’s face showed signs of the beatings that he says he endured during his ordeal.

“I was taken right deep into the bush, in an isolated area in Jos”, Obi said.

“There are five of them and they were dressed in military uniforms. They pushed me into a vehicle painted in military colours and began to drive very fast. I never knew a vehicle can fly like that.”

Mikel’s management company Sport Entertainment & Media Group (SEM) said in a statement: “Earlier today Michael Obi called his family to advise them that he had been released by his abductors.

“John Obi Mikel would like to thank everyone in Nigeria, his family and friends, Chelsea FC and their fans and his agents for their total support during this terrible time.”

SOURCE: BBC Sport

It is thoroughly commendable that John Obi Mikel managed to play for Chelsea whilst this ordeal was taking place and it is great news for the Mikel family that no harm befell the Nigerian midfielder’s father after what must have been a horrific few days with the kidnappers who will hopefully be brought to justice in the near future.

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There is growing speculation that Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas is keen on reuniting with former FC Porto charge Raul Meireles and Kenny Dalglish made be tempted to consider an offer for the Portuguese international, just as long as Liverpool get up and coming striker Daniel Sturridge in return.

Liverpool have been linked with a number of striking targets as Dalglish looks to beef up his attacking options and is reportedly an admirer of England Under 21 international Sturridge. The former Man City man will struggle to secure first team football at Stamford Bridge with the likes of Fernando Torres, Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka and even Salomon Kalou ahead of him in the pecking order.

Whilst Meireles was in inspired form since the turn of the year last term it appears that the arrival of Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam have pushed the talented midfielder out of the starting eleven, in fact even with Steven Gerrard out injured the 28 year old started the season opener with Sunderland on the bench.

Chelsea are looking to add creativity to a midfield that has a great deal of brawn in the shape of John Obi Mikel, Ramires and Michael Essien but not so much in the way of forward momentum aside from ageing Frank Lampard and youngster Josh McEachran. There is also growing speculation that Israeli international Yossi Benayoun could be used as a makeweight in the pursuit of Luka Modric.

Liverpool purchased Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll in January for a combined fee of around £55m and the pair are considered the club’s first choice striking options but in terms of back up options the Merseyside club lacks alternatives. Dirk Kuyt is still used more predominantly out wide and Frenchman David N’Gog has struggled to impress and could be offloaded to Bolton.

Sturridge will not be keen to spend the season on the Blues bench having experienced a taste of regular Premier League football whilst on loan at the Reebok Stadium last term and the 21 year old may be keen on any move that brings him nearer to first team football.

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Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has received a ‘sizeable ransom demand’ from the people who have kidnapped his father, but reports it is £80,000 is not true.

Michael Obi, who runs a transport company, failed to return home from work on Friday in Jos, the capital of Plateau State.

His car has been found after the kidnappers told police where to find it and have now made their ransom demands clear.

John Obi’s agents have release a statement asking for calm from supporters and insists he will continue playing for the Blues this weekend.

“Reports from Nigeria of an £80,000 ransom demand for the return of John Obi Mikel’s father is not true,” an SEM statement read.

“We confirm Michael Obi has been abducted and the kidnappers have been in touch with the family & representatives of the family and discussions for Michael’s safe release have begun.

“A sizeable demand has been made but for security reasons, we are unable to release details of the amount.

“Mikel would like to thank his family, friends, Chelsea FC and his agents for their support and at this time it is Mikel’s intention to play for Chelsea this weekend, encouraged by his family to do so.”

Tony Obi, eldest son of Michael Obi, confirmed their father’s car had also been retrieved.

“We got two calls from the abductors who confirmed that our father is in their custody,” he said.

“They told me where to locate my dad’s car, which has been found, but I do not want to disclose the location for now.

“We have heard our father’s voice. At least we now know that he is alive. The family is happy, relieved but still we plead with the abductors to release our father.”

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Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has been contacted by the people who kidnapped his father in Nigeria.

The alarm was raised when Michael Obi, who runs a transport company, failed to return home from work on Friday in Jos, the capital of Plateau State.

Mikel, who was told the news on Saturday but chose to play in the Blues’ goalless draw with Stoke the following day, appealed for information on the whereabouts of his father.

The family have now been contacted by the kidnappers but the ransom amount has not been revealed.

“Some people called my mum informing her that they have her husband in custody,” Mikel’s brother Ebele Obi said.

“My mum, while crying, pleaded with the abductors to release her husband. They asked her to go and look for money but declined to state how much.”

Tony Obi, eldest son of Michael Obi, confirmed their father’s car had also been retrieved.

“We got two calls from the abductors who confirmed that our father is in their custody,” he said.

“They told me where to locate my dad’s car, which has been found, but I do not want to disclose the location for now.”

“We have heard our father’s voice. At least we now know that he is alive. The family is happy, relieved but still we plead with the abductors to release our father.”

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Chelsea midfielder John Mikel Obi has appealled for the return of his father, who has been abducted in Nigeria.

Michael Obi has not been seen or heard from since he failed to return home from work on Friday in Jos.

“John Mikel Obi’s father was abducted in Nigeria on Friday,” SEM Group said on Twitter.

“I’ve always tried to help the country, this is the time for the country to help me, whoever knows where my dad is should please contact me,” Mikel said.

The player was told before Sunday’s Premier League game between Chelsea and Stoke City, but decided to play.

“I said I would like to play, I wouldn’t want to let the club down and if I didn’t play that game I think my mum would be very sad, she told me to go out there and be strong and make sure I do well in the game,” the 24-year-old told Sky Sports News.

“I don’t think my team-mates know, I told [Didier] Drogba today [Monday] and [Salomon] Kalou who is a good friend, I didn’t want everyone coming up and saying sorry.”

SEM said no ransom demand had yet been received but Mikel admitted his father’s famous son was likely to be known by any potential kidnappers.

“I think they do know, my family have lived there all their lives so they will know who he is and who I am,” he said.

“This happens a lot in the eastern part of Nigeria but my dad would probably be the first this has happened to in the northern part which is a very safe place, this is very rare and is surprising everyone.”

SOURCE: BBC Sport

This is indeed distressing news and one hopes that all will be resolved shortly and our thoughts are with the player and his family at this time. It took immense courage for John Obi Mikel to play for Chelsea at Stoke City on Sunday just after he was told the awful news.

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Many will believe that Chelsea lost the league title in week 36, but I would argue the odds were stacked against them before a ball was kicked this season. In what has been one of the most exciting Premiership seasons ever, Chelsea at first dominated, then capitulated, then were resurrected, and then finally fell short at the final hurdle. A topsy-turvy season has seen Chelsea’s Premiership crown wrestled from them by a determined Manchester United team, who finally blew them away for good last Sunday with a brilliant first half display which left Chelsea battered, bruised and unable to recover. Chelsea’s late charge flatters to deceive and United will end up Champions fairly comfortably. I think the root of Chelsea’s recent demise comes down to two major factors, squad size and age of team.

Whilst the team is arguably one of if not the best technically in the premiership and when on form can destroy teams, they have found it tough going at times this season and I think the problems with an aging team of energy levels and pace were badly exposed in Sunday’s show down.

Chelsea’s squad is the smallest in the premiership, with only eighteen senior outfield players. Now with a squad that small any injuries will impact the match day squad and anything more than five injuries will seriously affect the starting eleven, which is exactly what happened. we had three central midfielders out of the team at the same time, and with only four to chose from (John Obi Mikel, Michael Essien, Frank Lampard and Ramires) we suffered badly, whilst last season we could call on players squad like Michael Ballack, Juliano Beletti, Deco or even Joe Cole, this time it was Josh McEchran who had to step in or Florent Malouda / Yuri Zhirkov tucking in. It had not been the intention to play Ramires much but he was forced to be playing every game in what should have been a bedding in period. Now whilst Manchester United often adapt to these situations the Chelsea machine is not quite so flexible and is affected a lot more by modifications. It was argued by Ancelotti that we were unlucky with injuries but I disagree. The number of injuries was no more than can be expected at certain times in the season and certainly no more than any other team has suffered this year, the real issue is that we didn’t have the cover and this should have been foreseen at the beginning of the season.

How we would have loved to have been in a situation where we could call on Ballack or Deco to marshal the midfield in Lampard’s absence but alas we chose to let them go. With the small squad comes another issue which relates to both squad size and age, number of games played. Whilst other teams have the luxury of rotation, Chelsea have had to play their best team week in week out with minimal opportunities to rest players, and this may well have been another contributory factor to the drubbing they got at Old Trafford, old players playing lots of games is not a good combination. Giggs plays once every couple of weeks or once a week at the busy end of the season, and he looks fresh for it. When Lampard is fit he plays every minute of every game and whilst he scored on the weekend he had no impact on the game as a whole, the man is still a class act but he needs legs around him to help share the load and that help was not coming from Essien or Mikel. Essien who has suffered from several injuries this year has not been able to find fitness yet and has been forced to play every game ahead of the horribly out of form Mikel, again Ancelotti has been left with no few options due to a small squad.

A small squad can be rectified, it will take some spending but can be fixed, however Chelsea will need to make sure it is young blood they bring in or the issue of an aging squad will still see them falling short. An owner or manager can never be sure when his team will be too old or when players legs will go but it seems that some of the double winning Chelsea team are showing their age. Drogba is no longer the force he once was and only shows flashes of his former self, whilst he also no longer affects matches in the same way other than at set pieces. He reminds me of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink in his last season at Chelsea, not quite able to get away from players and too often losing possession. Great players need to adapt their game once they lose their pace and I think Drogba is still in the denial stage. Frank Lampard is still able to score goals, and his tally since recovering from injury is testament to that but he no longer has the legs to boss the midfield in big games, he needs young legs around him. Ramires will offer this but the quite frankly lazy Mikel and out of sorts Essien means the once fearsome Chelsea midfield is looking very static at the moment.

Probably the biggest worry for me and a change that has been subtle but nonetheless significant is Ashley Cole. He was controversially named in the PFA team of the year, but this season has seen him lose two yards of pace and absolutely roasted in a foot race with Seamus Coleman and more recently Valencia, this was the man that regularly used to have Cristiano Ronaldo in his pocket, unfortunately this seems it is to be a thing of the past. Errors, such as his blind pass versus Sunderland at home and getting caught on the ball have crept into his game also. One of Chelsea’s biggest attacking strengths last season was Cole and Ivanovic bombing down either flank, however this season has seen Cole getting in those attacking areas less and less.

With Drogba at 33, Lampard 32 and Ashley Cole 30 we have three key players probably having seen their best days, not to mention John Terry at 30 but seemingly with the battle scarred body of a 40 year old. Now I am not suggesting we get rid of all our old players, quite the opposite, these players are part of the reason Chelsea remain a force, it is our experience that sees us regularly finish ahead of Arsenal’s “Kids”, but these players need a rest once in a while and need the support of young legs around them.

Whilst Sunday’s result was the final nail in the coffin Chelsea’s problems have been apparent for a much longer period. Last season Chelsea won the double and whilst most eulogized over their attacking football and impressive goal stats I could see that this was only serving to cover up issues which would come to a head further down the line. The squad was aging and the defence was becoming leaky. Luckily for Chelsea last season Arsenal, Liverpool, and most importantly United were all relatively poor meaning Chelsea could win the title without really having to be that great and with a very low points tally. This should have been the point at which they kicked on, strengthening the team. Instead, the purse strings were tightened and some senior players let go, most notably Michael Ballack, Deco and Joe Cole.

With several young players coming into the squad the focus seems to have been creating a more youthful squad with less dependence on big money signings and splashing the cash. This however only lasted till Christmas when after a hideous run of results Abramovich decided enough was enough and opened the chequebook for his long-term target Torres and the brilliantly erratic David Luiz. Although Torres found the going tough, to put it mildly, Luiz fitted straight in and has combined brilliant displays with more eratic ones but has been largely responsible for kick starting Chelsea’s recent run of 8 wins in 10 premiership games, catapulting the team back up the table and now to second where it looks they will finish. It is the energy of players like Luiz that Chelsea need now, yes he has made mistakes but his energy has been as breath of fresh air in a squad starting to get a little stale.

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John Obi Mikel is a shock target for Arsenal Football Club.

Roman Abramovich is being heavily tipped to shake up the Chelsea squad when the window reopens, despite the Blues pushing Manchester United all the way for the title.

This means a number of current first team players are sweating over their futures, and Mikel is one of many who has been linked with a possible exit.

The 24-year-old has started 26 times in the Premier League this season, and Fans FC understand Arsene Wenger is monitoring his situation.

Whether the Blues would sell the midfielder to a rival club remains to be seen, and as he is under contract until 2014, they would demand a fee of around £15million.

SOURCE: Fansfc.com

This would be something of a surprise for a number of different reasons. Firstly it is plausible that Nigerian interantional John Obi Mikel would be considering his Chelsea future having seen his first team opportunities limited by the arrival of Ramires from Benfica but would Carlo Ancelotti or Roman Abramovich allow the 24 year old to join an arch rival? Seems unlikely.

The former Lyn Oslo midfielder did of course something of a stir when he turned his back on Man United after having seemingly already signed for the Old Trafford club, however the determined tackler has since become a crucial player at the club but some sources seem to believe Ancelotti is willing to hand his role to Brazilian international Ramires next term leading to speculation about Mikel’s future.

That said, Mikel has been in excellent form of late and his resurgence has correlated with the Blues recent good run of results that has made the West London side genuine title contenders again.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger could do with some added steel in his midfield but Alex Song has done a solid job when called upon but back-up Denilson has been poor this term.

The Gunners manager is reportedly considering a big shake-up at the club with the likes of Emmanuel Eboue, Manuel Almunia, Gael Clichy, Nicklas Bendtner and Andrei Arshavin linked with exits.

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Real Madrid and Manchester United are being linked with Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel.

The Nigeria international has concerns over his future in Blues boss Carlo Ancelotti’s plans and is seeking clear the air talks, says the News of the World.

His plight, according to Spanish sources, has alerted the interest of United and Real.

Obi Mikel actually signed for United, before he was allowed to move to Chelsea after leaving Lyn.

Real Madrid coach Mourinho worked with Obi Mikel at Chelsea and would welcome the chance for a reunion.

SOURCE: Tribalfootball

Sir Alex Ferguson may crave a defensive midfielder to offer more steel to Manchester United’s side he is surely not likely to have any interest in Nigerian international John Obi Mikel. The Scot will not have forgotten the manner in which the Chelsea star treated the Old Trafford club when he first arrived in the UK.

Back in 2005 the former Lyn Oslo youngster had agreed a deal to move to to Man United and the club’s own website had stated that a four year deal had been agreed. He had even taken part in a press conference announcing his arrival and even had a squad number, ’21′. However the player then claimed he has been ‘pressurised’ into signing the deal, a claim that both United and his Norwegian club had denied.

In the end Chelsea had agreed to settle with both clubs and paid them accordingly and it was an embarrassing episode that Ferguson won’t have forgotten so the idea they would now be interested in Mikel now that he appears to have fallen out with Carlo Ancelotti.

A move to Real Madrid could be a possibility and former Chelsea director of football Frank Arnesen is said to be keen on bringing the 23 year old to Hamburg. Man United have been linked with a number of potential defensive midfield additions and it seems likely that Owen Hargreaves will not be offered a new deal when his current contract runs out this summer.

The likes of Darren Fletcher, Anderson, Darron Gibson, Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes all offer Ferguson a great deal but none offer an outright combative ability to break down opposition attacks.

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AC Milan have again delayed opening discussions with star players whose contracts run out in June, with Andrea Pirlo one of those most likely to leave.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Rossoneri vice president Adriano Galliani has put off talks until April for some of his star players, as they are yet to accept the offers on the table – which feature a significant pay cut.

Wages are no such issue at Chelsea, and Carlo Ancelotti is believed to desire a reunion with his former charge, after seeing his midfield stifled against Liverpool.

John Obi Mikel has proven decent in spells, but does not possess the vision from the deep-lying midfield position that Pirlo does, and his experience could prove key in tight matches – as Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs have repeatedly shown for Manchester United.

Pirlo’s club colleagues in a similar position at the San Siro include Alessandro Nesta and Filippo Inzaghi, and both veterans could surely still perform a job at the highest level.

Could that be the Premier League?