Mikel hopes Lampard is still Chelsea manager when he retires, so he can join as assistant

A generation ago, Chelsea built an all-conquering team of supreme talents who helped propel the club into one of the biggest and best in the world. Now, some of these talents, after hanging up their boots, are making their way back to Stamford Bridge to help build the next generation who will hopefully continue the tradition of success in the Premier League and beyond.

Led by manager Frank Lampard, assistant coach Jody Morris, technical advisor and part-time hockey goalie Petr Cech, and all the rest of the heroes and legends who make up the backroom staffs at both senior and junior levels, Chelsea are making waves with a plethora of homegrown talent. And we’re only getting started.

The team’s good work has been noticed not only by fans, pundits, and the media, but by other former players as well. One such player is former midfielder Mikel John Obi, Hero of Munich, who’s still playing but is keeping an eye on things back at the Bridge.

“I am very happy for Frank. When we were playing at Chelsea, we are expecting that John Terry and he would be very good managers, but we were expecting Terry to reach that level first. But Lampard made a big step. His arrival at Chelsea means the club are caring for their legends.”

“I joked with him after the Chelsea move, I want to be his assistant when I retire. I hope he will be successful at Chelsea for many more years. I also want to see John Terry in similar jobs in the future because he was our leader on the pitch.”

-Mikel John Obi; source: 61 Saat via Sport Witness

At 32 years old, Mikel is probably a few seasons away from retirement. Let’s hope Frank Lampard will still be going strong as Chelsea boss at that time! And even if John Terry continues to work on his own path (as is expected), he’s sure to be trying his hand at management in the near future as well.

Until then, best of luck to Mikel this season in Turkey. He’s been a key player for Trabzonspor so far, as they find themselves third in the league table and competing in the Europa League group stages.