“Nothing for me at the moment is so excellent” – Agent of ex-Chelsea star Mikel says Nigeria lack quality players due to issues with ‘discipline’ and ‘character’ 

John Shittu, who serves as the agent of former Chelsea midfielder John Mikel Obi, has made a bold claim that there's no exceptional football talent in Nigeria. The former Super Eagles captain's representative made the comment while discussing a series of football-related topics with Pulse Sports Nigeria.

With several years of experience working as an agent in the sport, Shittu certainly knows how to spot talent. According to him, Nigeria produces many decent players at a young age, but they failt to reach their potential due to poor attitude and character.

The agent of the former Chelsea midfielder explained to Pulse Sports Nigeria: "You know the thing about discovering talents, and which sometimes I always go back to John Mikel Obi,” Shittu said.

He continued:

"Ordinarily, when people see players on the street at that age, they always say he's good at this position. But out there, there are so many professionals in the scouting industry, and you see the player you see today at the age of 13 or 14 that you think that this is going to be the next (Cristiano) Ronaldo or (Lionel) Messi of this world.

However, Shittu added that many of them flatter to deceive because of their attitude and character. He said:

"As he grows, anything can happen. It could even be the character of that person. We have had so many like that in Nigeria that were so good, but their attitude and character did not get them anywhere and likewise all over the world."

Shittu also said he hasn't seen any Nigerian player with the right attitude to become true world-class superstars.

"For me, it's the trajectory problem, and I have not yet seen that player (in Nigeria) with the right attitude and the level of discipline that could be the next big thing. I just mentioned about the Nigerian players. Yes, they have some decent players. Nothing for me at the moment is so excellent," the agent added.

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How John Mikel Obi fared for Chelsea

Mikel enjoyed a huge success at Stamford Bridge.

John Mikel joined Chelsea from Norwegian outfit FK Lyn in the summer of 2006 in a transfer worth €20 million. He went on to spend a whopping 11 years at Stamford Bridge, playing 372 games and recording six goals and 13 assists across competitions.

The Nigerian won multiple titles during his time at the club, including the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League, the Premier League and many others. He's currently without a club after parting ways with Kuwait SC in November last year.