He said the move was fundamentally done to help Nigeria's push to be at the 2018 World Cup in Brazil.
Mikel was solidified out of the primary group picture by mentor of Chelsea Antonio Conte, yet the skipper of the Nigeria group remained a standard for the national group notwithstanding his absence of recreations at club level.
He chose to move to Tianjin Teda on a three year bargain with a specific end goal to get playing time, and in spite of the way that he will get twofold his previous pay in China, the 29 year old demand the move wasn't about cash.
"I could without much of a stretch have remained in Chelsea for the staying six months of my agreement however it won't be to the greatest advantage of my country, as they need me coordinate fit when the World Cup 2018 qualifiers continue", Mikel told Us.It wasn't a simple choice to make however I truly require matches to remain fit for Nigeria. Nigerians don't should pass up a major opportunity of the World Cup after consecutive inability to fit the bill for the Africa Cup of Nations".