The loan agreement stipulates that if Mikel can help Southampton win the League Cup, then Mikel will be loaned out until the end of the Europa League next season. Both clubs will pay half of Mikel's salary, and Mikel will enjoy a share of Southampton's winning bonus.
In addition, Mikel cannot play in the match against Chelsea. Mikel can be recalled by Chelsea at any time during the loan period. If Mikel is injured at Southampton, all expenses will be borne by the Southampton club.
With the intervention of Sister NO and the help of Emenalo, the loan agreement was given the green light all the way and passed the vote of the club's top management in just half a day. Mikel also announced to the public that afternoon that he accepted the loan from Southampton.
At an impromptu press conference, Mikel announced that he was loaned to Southampton just to be able to play with Gu Ran.
This statement was regarded as a statement of extremely high emotional intelligence - even though Mikel was a player known for his hot temper, lack of discipline and high card rate on the court.
On February 1, the day the transfer window closed, Mikel officially reported to Southampton. Southampton's senior management and players lined up to welcome him and gave the Nigerian superstar the highest treatment.
Gu Ran also took the initiative to come forward and shake hands with Mikel, "Hi, Mikel, welcome to Southampton! I hope we can become good partners."
Mikel also smiled happily and said: "Oh Gu! I think we are already very good partners! We have been very good partners since you passed Essien as if you were crossing the road at three o'clock in the morning."
"Hahaha!" The two of them burst into laughter.
Mikel has found a very good environment at Southampton.
Southampton's waist strength has also been greatly enhanced and improved due to the addition of Mikel.
Especially when it comes to protecting Gu Ran from behind, Mikel demonstrated his extraordinary ability to protect the driver during the first training session.
Coach Adkins was very satisfied. After playing in the 442 formation for more than half a season, he could finally transition to the 4231 formation which was both defensive and effective.
At 7:30 pm on February 1st, the 28th round of the English League One, Southampton's home game against Huddersfield Town began.
Newly loaned Mikel put on the Southampton jersey and sat on the bench.
Because he is a new member of the team, Mikel will, as usual, come on as a substitute after halftime in the first game.
In this game, Southampton only sent out half of the main players led by Gu Ran, with a starting formation of 4231, playing a defensive counterattack.
The two sides were evenly matched at the beginning of the first half.
There were wonderful moments and mistakes on both sides.
Because the weather was very cold, it took the players from both sides a long time to warm themselves up.
In the 25th minute of the first half, Chamberlain dribbled the ball to the bottom and knocked it back. Gu Ran volleyed the ball sideways from the top of the penalty area and sent the ball into the net! St. Mary's Stadium was instantly boiling!
The score on the big screen changed to Southampton 1:0 Huddersfield Town.
Then, in the 33rd minute, Chamberlain made another sharp breakthrough on the wing, causing a foul by a Huddersfield Town winger. Gu Ran kicked a powerful throw-in, and center forward Gu Li jumped high and scored with a header! Southampton 2:0 Huddersfield Town! In the first half injury time, Huddersfield Town launched an attack from the wing. Gu Ran covered the ball and broke the ball on the sideline. Then he made a long pass to Chamberlain. Chamberlain had a single shot, facing the attacking goalkeeper, and calmly sent the ball into the net! Southampton 3:0 Huddersfield Town! The second half changed sides and the game resumed.
In the 65th minute, coach Adkins brought on Mikel, who had just been loaned out, and replaced vice-captain Walton.
When Mikel came on the field, all the Southampton fans stood up and gave Mikel warm applause!
At Chelsea, he rarely had the chance to play, and even less chance to enjoy the applause of the whole audience! But at Southampton, he got it all!
As a midfielder trained according to Makelele's template, Mikel is definitely an underestimated player.
At the 2005 World Youth Championship, Chen Tao became famous with one goal, but the winner of the Golden Ball Award at that World Youth Championship was Leo Messi, and the winner of the Silver Ball Award was John Mikel Obi, who was playing as an attacking midfielder at the time.
Mikel was originally spotted by Manchester United, who offered him an annual salary of 4 million pounds. Chelsea's head coach Mourinho came out of nowhere and offered him an annual salary of 12 million pounds. He also personally accompanied Mikel to visit Chelsea's training ground. With Emenalo's full support, Mikel joined Chelsea and played under the guidance of Makelele.
In Nigeria, Mikel is called the Nigerian Messi and the Nigerian Zidane. Mikel plays as an attacking midfielder.
However, Mourinho was attracted by Mikel's 188cm height and 83kg strong body, and transformed him into a Makelele-style defensive midfielder.
Facts have proved that Mourinho's vision is indeed sharp enough.
Mikel has a calm style and is cautious with the ball. He also has strong positioning and ball-protecting skills. He is a defensive lock who can protect the ball very well, which is very suitable for Chelsea's iron-blooded defensive style of play.
The only pity is that Mikel is not the kind of defensive midfielder who likes to advance. He prefers to work diligently in the backcourt and fulfill his defensive responsibilities. In addition, Chelsea's forward line is indeed not short of talent, and the tactics also require Mikel to sacrifice the function of advancing. Therefore, Mikel rarely scores goals and naturally cannot be compared with those world-class midfield masters.
But this does not hinder Mikel's strength.
Only two minutes after Mikel came on the pitch, he used his body and footwork to cooperate with Gu Ran to perfectly tackle the ball from a Huddersfield player, and then made two consecutive wall passes with Gu Ran to deliver the ball to the front of the penalty area.
Gu Ran kicked the ball directly, a world-class long shot!
Huddersfield Town's goal was easily broken by the cooperation of Gu Ran and Mikel!
The score on the big screen changed to Southampton 4:0 Huddersfield Town.
Since Mikel came on the pitch, Gu Ran's coverage area has obviously become wider and he is more at ease.
Mikel's defensive style is also iron-blooded, aggressive, and extremely accurate in positioning.
This also provides a great deal of security to Southampton's originally fragile defense.
When the referee blew the final whistle, the score was Southampton 6:0 Huddersfield Town, and Southampton completed the massacre of the Terriers.
Gu Ran and Mikel hugged each other to celebrate. Their first cooperation in an official match was perfect!
Southampton fans cheered wildly!
…
(End of this chapter)