Middlesbrough sign Mikel on short-term deal as Rohr says ‘he remains Super Eagles Captain’

Middlesbrough have signed Super Eagles captain and former Chelsea midfielder, Mikel Obi, on a short-term deal, the Championship club said on Thursday.
The 31-year-old is arriving at the English league second-tier clubside Riverside Stadium as a free agent.
This is after leaving China’s Tianjin Teda at the end of the Chinese Super League season in November.
Mikel rose to prominence during an 11-year stint with Chelsea, winning two English Premier League titles, three FA Cups and the UEFA Champions League in 2012.
He also won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2013 playing for Nigeria in an international career that has spanned 12 years and 85 appearances, including two World Cups.
“I’m pleased to get him in. He is a man with a lot of experience and quality,” Middlesbrough manager Tony Pulis said in a statement.
“He has a winning mentality and he wants to be here to be a part of what we are looking to achieve.”
Mikel becomes Pulis’ second signing of the January window, following the arrival of Rajiv van La Parra on loan from Huddersfield Town.
Middlesbrough, who are bidding to return to the English Premier League for the first time since 2016/2017, are currently fifth in the Championship table.
Meanwhile, Super Eagles Coach, Gernot Rohr, says that the status quo still remained in the national team over the captainship, adding that Mikel Obi still leads the team until he makes a formal request that he wants to leave.
The Franco-German tactician made the comment on the sidelines of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) Match Day 4 between MFM FC and Rangers International FC of Enugu.
The Super Eagles gaffer was on the stands to watch out for the outstanding players among the NPFL players.
Mikel on the other hand recently penned a new deal with the English Championship side, Middlesborough after he quit Tianjin TEDA in the Chinese Super League.
The former Chelsea star, Mikel, 31, claimed that he wanted to be close to his family living in London, hence his decision to choose the North East Club that currently sits on the fifth position in the Championship.
Rohr said though Mikel had yet to play for the national team since their exit from the World Cup during the group stage, the dependable midfielder not only remained an integral part of his team, but the leader as well.
“We are very happy with the news about Mikel joining Middlesborough because it has been a long time he played last for the team, but he is a player who really wants to play for the team.
“He wishes to return to Europe to be with his family and find a good club which he has done. Right now, he needs more time to be back in the team because we have yet to see him after the World Cup.
“We want him to come back to the national team like other players. If he is playing well with his new team, he stands a chance of coming back to us, but he has not told me he will quit the team.
“He remains the captain of the team till he says otherwise, we will be happy to have him back for his experience,” he said.
On another Nigerian plying his trade in the Chinese Super League, Odion Ighalo, Rohr said he hoped that the goal poacher finds another club in Europe.
“The same issue like Mikel goes to Ighalo, there is now a big winter break in the Chinese league, even if the league is on, I am not sure that he wants to remain there.
“Ighalo wants to come back to Europe, though he still has a contract with his Chinese club. Right now, he wants a club in England or Turkey, I hope he can play again in a good club, just like other players, I want him to be fit.
“He has also contributed well to the national team, we enjoyed his contributions to the team,” he said.