‘We need to get Trubin’ – Mikel urges Chelsea to sign Benfica goalkeeper

Former Chelsea midfielder and Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel has called on the Blues to sign Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin.

This comes after an exceptional showing by the Ukrainian, although with some error-strewn performances in the last moments of their recent FIFA Club World Cup defeat to Chelsea.

Recall the Blues sealed a 4-1 win over the Portuguese side to advance to the quarterfinals, but Trubin was at fault for two of the goals.

This include Reece James’ opener and Christopher Nkunku’s follow-up strike.

His shaky display drew criticism, but Mikel believes the 22-year-old’s potential outweighs the poor outing.

Speaking during post-match analysis on DAZN, Mikel defended Trubin:
“We talked about him before the game. He has had a brilliant tournament so far. Today’s just one of those days he needs to forget.”

Despite the night’s mishaps, the Chelsea legend doubled down on his stance: “I still think we [Chelsea] need to get Trubin.”

Trubin has been one of Benfica’s standout performers throughout the tournament, and Mikel believes he could provide long-term competition or replacement for Chelsea’s current options between the sticks.

The match also saw Benfica reduced to 10 men after Gianluca Prestianni received a second yellow card for a clumsy challenge on Malo Gusto in stoppage time, a decision Mikel agreed with, calling it “definitely a second yellow.”

Chelsea continue their Club World Cup campaign with a quarter-final clash against Palmeiras next.