There’s no shortage of talking points for John Obi Mikel and Chris McHardy to wade through after a tumultuous week that saw Chelsea sack boss Liam Rosenior AND reach the FA Cup Final.

As always, Mikel doesn’t hold back as he applauds Chelsea’s win over Leeds AND picks through the wreckage of their’s shambolic 3-0 loss at Brighton, a result that ended Rosenior’s tenure after just 106 days.

Who’s next in the Blues hot seat? Mikel and Chris discuss the leading candidates and John Terry’s latest snub by the club’s owners.

Mikel also sets the record straight on “fake news” doing the rounds on social media, and pays tribute to his fellow Nigerian Michael Eneramo who passed away over the weekend.

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John Obi Mikel and Chris McHardy discuss the weekend’s top stories as Manchester City wrestle control of the title race from Arsenal. It’s now just one win in six for the Gunners as they are edged out at the Etihad Stadium, and Obi Mikel isn’t happy with Mikel Arteta.

Mikel also has his say on Gabriel’s headbutt on Erling Haaland and ponders whether Arsenal will not be more comfortable hunting rather than being hunted.

Another defeat for Chelsea means it’s four on the bounce without so much as a goal scored, and just one win in eight. Little worried Mikel is worried and left questioning where on earth the club is headed.

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John Obi Mikel and Chris McHardy walk back arguably the best weekend of the Premier League season so far as Arsenal hand the title initiative to City, Chelsea draw a blank (again) and Tottenham’s relegation troubles deepen.

Mikel wants Arsenal to ditch the gimmicks and go back to basics, he identifies the REAL reason Man City are back in the title race and he sets the record straight on Liam Delap who he’s been accused of giving an easy ride this season.

The guys also pick through the bones of another defeat for Tottenham that leaves them winless in 2026 and staring down the barrel of life in the Championship next season.

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In this episode of Taking the Mikel, John Obi and Chris McHardy delve into Chelsea’s recent woes. From defeats on the pitch to key players speaking out on Enzo Maresca’s departure. What does it all mean for Liam Rosenior? Mikel doesn’t hold back on his assessment. Simply put: it’s Champions League or bust.

The guys also discuss Roberto de Zerbi’s appointment as Tottenham’s new boss and why it spells trouble for the club’s underperforming stars. Mikel also makes an admission that might not go down too well with his fellow Chelsea fans.

The guys also discuss Mohamed Salah’s next destination as he gears up to leave Liverpool, plus Mikel launches into an impassioned tirade over the “ludicrous” decision to strip Senegal of their African Cup of Nations title.

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John Obi Mikel and Chris McHardy are in Nairobi in this episode of the podcast to catch up with Kenyan trailblazers: brothers MacDonald Mariga and Victor Wanyama.

First up, Mariga lifts the lid on working with José Mourinho, becoming the first player from Kenya to lift the UEFA Championd League and why a potential move to Manchester City was scuppered. He also gives his take on the current state of the Kenyan game and African football as a whole.

Wanyama follows as he reflects on a career that took him to England via Celtic to play for Southampton and Tottenham under the leadership of Mauricio Pochettino. He also weighs in on the debate as to who is the greatest player in African football history.

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John Obi Mikel and Salomon Kalou have had a brotherly bond since their days together at Chelsea. And that unique friendship is on display here as the two men reunite for a candid and, at times, hilarious jaunt down memory lane.

Here, Kalou recounts the lengths José Mourinho went to scout him in person at Feyenoord, his first meeting with Roman Abramovich at a place where ‘everyone signed on the dotted line’ and why he wasn’t so keen on Didier Drogba’s expensive Ferrari!

Mikel can’t resist teasing his friend over one of the more unique hairstyles we’ve seen in the Premier League, and why he always had to have a stocked fridge!

Kalou also finally reveals what really happened between himself and Michael Ballack that led to their infamous training ground dust-up.

Settle in for this one, as two Chelsea greats chew the fat about the glory days on the pitch, and the mad times off it.

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Things get heated in this episode of Taking the Mikel as John Obi can’t hide his disgust at what he calls Arsenal’s “cheat code”: their set-pieces. No one is safe as the former Chelsea man hits out at Mikel Arteta and the standard of officiating in the Premier League.

But is there an ulterior motive? All is revealed.

Mikel and Chris also weigh into the debate over Michael Carrick’s long-term future as Manchester United with both debating the merits of two other candidates.

Igor Tudor comes under fire too after his winless start to life as Tottenham boss continues, and Mikel finds time to criticise Liam Rosenior over his use of Chelsea’s talisman Cole Palmer.

And finally, how many of this current Arsenal side would make the Invincibles XI of 2004? The guys have their say.

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Taking the Mikel is back with a bang as John Obi Mikel and Chris McHardy run the rule over a controversial week.

First up, the race for the Premier League title, and Mikel refuses to get carried away with Arsenal’s 4-1 at Tottenham for one major reason.

Doubts over this Chelsea team linger, but Mikel has Liam

Rosenior’s back when it comes to trolling on social media.

John and Chris also wade into the racism storm involving Vinicius Junior and the incendiary post-match comments of José Mourinho. John pleads with his former boss and weighs in on Mark Clattenburg’s ill-advised remarks too.

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Luís Figo is a footballing icon. One of the greatest players of his generation, a Ballon d’Or winner and the subject of one of the most controversial and talked about transfers of all time.

Here, the Portuguese sits down with John and Chris at the Melia Desert Palm in Dubai to reflect on his illustrious career, and set the record straight once and for all.

So what does he REALLY think of Cristiano Ronaldo and his place among the game’s pantheon? And what of his bid to one day become UEFA president?

Luís also takes us into the inner workings of his transfer from Barcelona to Real Madrid in 2000, a move that shocked the world. What was the catalyst, how did his family deal with the fallout and most pressing of all: does he have any regrets?

Figo also talks us into the inner sanctum of Real’s Galacticos, picks the team’s best player and reveals just how close he came to a move to the English Premier League.

Luís Figo was speaking to the Obi One Podcast to celebrate La Liga’s partnership with Meliá Hotels International in the Middle East.

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The Obi One Podcast is on the road again, this time in Abidjan for a live event with special guest Wilfried Bony.

A cult hero at Swansea, a League Cup winner with Manchester City and an African champion with his beloved Ivory Coast, Bony looks back on his career and some of the sliding door moments within it.

he came close to a move to Arsenal after a clandestine meeting with then boss Arsene Wenger, why he spurned the riches on offer in China and the rollercoaster of emotions that he went through in winning the African Cup of Nations in 2015.

Bony also discusses the dressing dynamics of that Ivory Coast team which featured both Didier Drogba and Yaya Touré. Who was the top dog?

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