MIKEL OWES CAREER TO MOURINHO

Super Eagles midfielder, John Obi Mikel has hinted that for the foresight of former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho,he wouldn't have made his English Premier League breakthrough at the Stamford Bridge.

It's a dawn of a new era at Chelsea with the arrival of Andre Villas-Boas, following the exit of Carlo Ancelotti, and Mikel is setting new personal goals. He is forging ahead at Stamford Bridge, but not without paying glowing tributes to his godfathers who made things happen at the inception as far as his Chelsea career is concerned.

"My shoutout to uncle Piet de Visser, that's the scout that recommended me to Chelsea," Mikel says gleefully, recalling his arrival from Lyn Oslo of Norway in the summer of 2006. He adds: "And my shoutout also to Jose (Mourinho), for believing in me," Mikel says ahead of his departure to Asia with Chelsea to round off Villas-Boas' pre-season training programme.

For the umpteenth time,the Super Eagles midfielder is getting in the mood and raring to go in the EPL new new season with Chelsea.

Last week, he mooted his desire to come better in the new season, especially under new manager, Villas-Boas' reign. He told Chelsea and Super Eagles fans that he would strive to score goals too this season, his defensive midfield role notwithstanding.

Mikel reflects before leaving England with Chelsea on Sunday: "I hope my talks about getting goals didn't make guys lay it as a yardstick to judge Mikel. Easy guys, my prime target is to defend a goal."

Mikel was in action last Saturday as Chelsea won 1-0 away at Portsmouth in their second tune up match of the pre-season, thanks to an own goal by their former boy Tal Ben-Haim.

"That's not the kind of result we should have wanted," Mikel states. "But it was all about fitness, and we are getting there."

He quips: "Thanks to Ben-Haim for that goal though, very typical of him. I can remember one quite similar which he scored while at Chelsea.

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