Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has made revelations about some of the struggles Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne underwent while at Chelsea.
Both players moved to the London club with much hype only to stagnate in fringe roles under Mourinho at the Stamford Bridge.
Lack of Game Time and Transfers
Salah made just 19 appearances after joining from Basel in 2014, while De Bruyne only featured in nine games following his move from Genk in 2012.
Despite limited playing time, both players could not sit on the bench and later transferred to other clubs to progress in their careers.
Both players—Salah moved to Fiorentina and Roma before making a permanent switch, while De Bruyne transferred to Wolfsburg.
Mikel on Mourinho’s Approach
In an interview with The Obi One Podcast, Mikel was able to remember that Mourinho instilled a lot of pressure in each game they played.
“He knew that Salah could do it, and Mourinho had to make him cry in the dressing room. ”He was trying to get the best of them,” lamented Mikel, noting that the pressure drove both players out to find better pastures.
Prospective Achievement for Mohamed Salah and De Bruyne
Salah and De Bruyne both established themselves more after leaving Chelsea. “They left; Salah moved to Roma, and De Bruyne went to Germany. And look at them today, the best players in the Premier League.”
Mikel remarked.
They returned to England, with Salah starring for Liverpool and De Bruyne becoming a key figure at Manchester City.
