"They had a massive row on the pitch" – John Obi Mikel recounts bust-up between Kevin De Bruyne and legendary striker at Chelsea
Ex-Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has claimed that Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne once had a training ground argument with ex-Barcelona and Inter Milan striker Samuel Eto'o.
De Bruyne, 32, is arguably seen as the best central midfielder in the world right now. However, he was once labelled a Chelsea flop during his one-and-a-half-year stint between 2012 and January 2014.
A five-time Premier League winner, De Bruyne made just nine overall appearances for the Stamford Bridge outfit. He started five matches for them, providing just one assist in 425 minutes of first-team action.
During a recent chat with Chelsea great John Terry on The Obi One podcast, Mikel reminisced De Bruyne's time at the Blues. He said:
"I think Kevin De Bruyne wasn't the best trainer back then at Chelsea. He was somebody that came to training, and probably because he wasn't playing that much, always having his head down, always angry and sulking. He was like a kid who came to the playground and nobody wanted to play with him."
Revealing that Eto'o once had a tiff with the Belgian, Mikel also said:
"I remember when Samuel Eto'o had a go at him and they had a massive fight on the training ground just because he [De Bruyne] wasn't putting in the effort that Eto'o wanted so they had a massive row on the pitch."
De Bruyne, who helped Manchester City lift the treble last season, has established himself as one of the modern-day greats over the past five or six seasons. He has registered 96 goals and a whopping 153 assists in 358 games across competitions for the Cityzens so far.
Chelsea outcast Trevoh Chalobah emerges as Borussia Dortmund's top January target
According to Sport Bild, Borussia Dortmund have identified Trevoh Chalobah as a winter transfer target. Both BVB manager Edin Terzic and director Sebastian Kehl are keen to sign the 24-year-old defender.
Chelsea, on the other hand, are thought to be interested in entertaining bids in the region of £26 million for their youth product. However, BVB are keen to rope in the Englishman on a short-term loan transfer, with an option to purchase at the end of the ongoing 2023-24 term.
Chalobah, whose current deal is set to finish in June 2028, could opt to leave the Blues as he has dropped down in the pecking order this season. He has made 63 appearances for his boyhood team.