For Nigerian duo John Obi Mikel and Victor Moses, this season is a very important one for different reasons.

As Moses is still arguably developing as a footballer, Mikel is a proven defensive midfielder with enough of a reputation to attract some of Europe’s biggest clubs.

One thing they do have in common, is their careers have somewhat stagnated over the last 12 months.

Moses spent last season on loan to Premier League rivals Stoke City where he only featured in 19 league games, scoring 3 goals, mainly due to injuries.

After being signed by Chelsea from Wigan in 2012, the winger has spent two seasons out on loan, one at Liverpool and then at the aforementioned, Stoke.

Desperate to prove himself to Jose Mourinho, Moses has been starved of minutes during pre-season, and is unlikely to get many minutes in the upcoming games – that is if he isn’t sold before the transfer window closes.

With Eden Hazard, Willian and Pedro ahead of him in pecking order, there’s a good chance that his days could be numbered at Stamford Bridge.

Mikel is also in a bit of a predicament. Chelsea’s second longest serving player in the current squad won’t stand for much as Mourinho showed how ruthless he could be by replacing long standing goalkeeper Petr Cech with the fledgling Thibaut Courtois for the last two seasons.

It may hinge on whether Mikel is happy being a bit part player this season, and if reports are correct, Mikel doesn’t see his future anywhere but at Chelsea.

It’s a possibility that Mikel could well see out his contract at Chelsea or even be offered the chance to stay at the club past his current deal as Mourinho does utilize him in certain games for his defensive capabilities.

With the London based side going into this campaign as defending champions Mikel will without doubt want to add another Premier League title to his medal haul, that’s for sure.

If the two do remain at Stamford Bridge this season, as Super Eagles fans, let’s hope that they play a bigger part in Chelsea’s assault on all fronts this season.

If last season proved anything, Mourinho needs to trust his whole squad and rest some of his core players a little more.

The likes of Hazard, Fabregas, Cahill and Costa looked jaded at parts last season, and with some games off during the season, it could be the difference between them winning the Premier League or winning several trophies.