Stoke City manager, Michael O’Neill, has reacted to John Mikel Obi’s decision to leave the club, after signing a contract extension.
Mikel Obi has now signed a one-year deal with Al Kuwait SC.
O’Neill claims they already had an agreement in the players’ contract that he could leave the club anytime.
“Although John triggered the second year of his contract, we always had an agreement in place whereby we would let him leave if a significant overseas opportunity came along.
“John is a fantastic professional and was a huge presence for us last season both on and off the field, particularly with the young players in our first-team squad.
“I really enjoyed working with him and would like to take this opportunity to thank him for his contribution and wish him every success for the future,” O’Neill said as quoted by stokesentinel.co.uk.
Last season, Mikel Obi made 39 league appearances for Stoke as they finished 14th in the Championship.
