Stoke City boss O’Neil pleased with the signing of ‘quality’ Mikel Obi

O'Neil is hoping Mikel can lead Stoke City to Premier League promotion.

Stoke City boss Michael O’Neil has expressed his delight in the signing of former Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi.

Mikel, a free agent, joined Championship side Stoke City on a one-year deal in August and has played in a couple of pre-season games for his new side.

Speaking on Mikel’s signing, Stoke City boss O’Neil is looking up to the 33-year-old to help push his team for a return to the Premier League.

“We’ve looked for quality and the players we’ve brought in demonstrate that,” O’Neill told Stokesentinel.co.uk.

Mikel Obi has played a couple of games since he joined Stoke City (Stoke City)

“They’ve all spent a large portion of their careers at the top level of the game, particularly John Obi. You don’t last 12 years at Chelsea unless you have quality.

“The main thing when we met the players was that they had other options but they were prepared to buy into what we are trying to do here.

“The likes of Steven Fletcher and John Obi Mikel want to try to finish their careers in the Premier League. That’s their ambition and they see Stoke as an opportunity to do that.”

Mikel has impressed in the couple of games he has played for Stoke City. He scored in a pre-season friendly game against Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday, August 25, 2020.