Juan Mata

[Pizy 18,877]

If Mata is to be sold this month the money has to immediately be reinvested in a top class player. If it's PSG then swap him with one of their top class players in a position we need. Obviously there's absolutely ZERO possibility we can ever sell him to a Prem side unless we got Rooney in exchange. If we just do a straight sale and pocket the cash then it'll be pointless. Then we'd just be thinning our depth out for no reason when we need it the most.

How about this sort of "out there" thought: Mata for Özil direct swap. Would suit both sides brilliantly. Özil and Jose are clearly still very close and I feel he certainly would've went for him had he known Madrid were looking to move him. Always got the feeling that Özil kind of settled for Arsenal just to get the hell out of Madrid. Was never his #1 option. Think he'd love playing with Jose again.

Will never happen, I know.

[Peace. 4,352]

I understand your sentiment, but I can still see Mata going for £30-40m purely based on his ability and age.

A lot of the players you've mentioned were bought at around Mata's age, so they went for exorbitant fees and were sold for very little or nothing considering they were either touching 30 or on the wrong side of it by the time they were moved on. The exception is Zhirkov. You said he went for peanuts but he actually went for around £13m which was an exceptional fee considering we bought him for £15-18m and he was largely unimpressive.

The purchase of Mata (and others of 2011 like Lukaku & Courtois) however signaled a significant shift in our purchasing behaviour up until that point as we had started to buy potential in the age range of 17-22 and not just established players or at youth level like the years before. Mata, Lukaku and Courtois have all flourished since their purchase (discounting this year for Mata) and we would not accept selling Lukaku or Courtois for little or nothing. Mata's first two years here should still stand as a testament of what he is capable of; it would be the main reason clubs want him after all.

That, coupled with the example of Robben & Zhirkov - that being, if the right club wants him they will still pay a considerable amount - is why it's not totally unrealistic for people to imagine him going between £30-40m. Again, I emphasise right club because we're not going to transfer list him and expect £30m+, but If a club comes in for him it's the very least we should be looking for. This is all based on a club wanting Mata, not us wanting to get rid of him, which I cannot see. I think we would rather keep him than sell him for a little amount or, at the very least, for him to be used as a significant bargaining chip in an exchange deal.

@Peace. This point you raised......“all the players we have decided to part ways with have had the possibility to go quite easely. Kalou, Malouda, Bosingwa, Alex, Anelka, Belletti, Joe Cole, Ballack, Deco”....that’s a big question mark for me. Of course you’re right that when Chelsea sees a player as being surplus they tend to move them on for a very low fee or just wait until their contract expires. But like @Mak already mentioned, those players ….i.e Drogba, Ballack, Deco – these were all players in their 30s. Mata is only 25 years old and coming off the back of a remarkable season. His situation is not at all comparable to those players that Chelsea basically let go for nothing. The only player that Chelsea sold that we can use as a comparison to Mata, is Robben. But just look at how much the club sold him for, 35 million euros. Considerably more than the 18 million (euros) fee that they paid for him.

I'll respond to you both here.

I know that we cannot completely compare Mata situation to all of these names that I mentioned, since all of them were pretty old (excepted Zirkhov, Robben and Kalou that were still young). To be truthful, my point was not by any mean to say that since we let go in most cases our players for free then Mata will leave for nothing. It's quite the contrary — I was name-dropping just to stress out the fact we have pratically never tried to get any money from the players we were letting go, could it be even a symbolic amount such as one million or even 500 000 pounds. In other words, that example was only meant to argue that we would not act like Lévy did with Bale and Modric, or even Self Pity FC with the ladyboy. Now what I mean ?

All in all, I am not denying that it is possible that a team puts on the table £35m or more. Such a thing is not unthinkable, and it could well happen if a team is within a panic moment, as TX pointed out. I was just responding kinda indirectly to the few people that were offended by the fact that some people were saying that Mata could not command a fee of the likes of £40m. We kinda are on the same line of thoughts although we do not present things from the same perspective !

I presume we will be agree to resume like that :

* if the team that wants to buy him is in a panic mode, then we will be able to get something around £40m ;

* if the team that wants to buy him can afford to not sign him and is wise enough, then that team can have him at a cut price or in an exchange deal.

P.S. I mean, this summer the consensus was to not offer more than £30 m or so for Rooney because he was more or less marginalized... It is more or less the same thing for Mata, so no needs to be offended if we don't get a record fee for him.

[Irakozium257 350]

Why the need to be all doom and gloom? Mourinho surely knows the meaning of SQUAD DEPTH, even if it's looking bad for Mata atm, doesn't equal with him finished in our squad. We've had squad depth problems before, big problems FFS, why start judging him finished at the club? I'm being mesmerized by the Hazard-Willian-Oscar atm, but Mata is goddamn very important for us, and I hope that he feels that way, and we surely have to look forward to having him, bench or as a starter.

[Cech's helmet 220]

How can people say he's not good enough this year when he's not playing in his position? the lad has been out of favor since the first few games in the league ffs. selling a guy who assisted/scored more than half of our goals in the last two years, brilliant idea. we're not scoring enough goals this year, we're not creating enough chances. we're just passing side ways. we need someone who's going to pass the ball through defenders to make a 1vs1 situation like Hazard for the first time did today. Mata is the best passer in the team, it's no brainer he should start as a no10, with Oscar starting with Rami in CM.

[The only place to be 11,313]

we need someone who's going to pass the ball through defenders to make a 1vs1 situation like Hazard for the first time did today.

So we need someone to pass the ball through defences like Hazard did for Oscar's first chance, or Hazard did for Oscar's goal?

How about Hazard? Or Willian?

I don't disagree that Mata has been great over the last couple of seasons, but we weren't. We're now looking like we could be a great team....I'd sacrifice Mata's Chelsea career at the alter of Jose for that to happen.

[Jase 43,479]

Jose won't mind Mata showing some frustration in fact he would prefer his players to be pissed off when they are taken off as opposed to being jovial in the dug-out after getting the hook, however Juan should show his disgust away from the cameras.

As for his current predicament I concur that he has to knuckle down and prove to Jose that he can make it in this team and make himself un-droppable, the problem for him is that he is not being given enough playing time to get any sort of consistency in his game, the same goes for our strikers and we only have to look at JT's performances this season to recognize this.

I don't agree that he doesn't fit our system either, we will play different systems & personnel will change to suit which team we are playing, he is not as adaptable as Hazard or Oscar but he is far better in his natural position, I believe that he would be a success playing more regularly and as what you lot call it now as a number 10.

I actually think that Mata coming out showing some aggression will work in our favour because I can see him having a private chat with Jose were things will ironed out and perhaps Juan will now get angry and start producing and playing like the world class player we all know he is.

Nonetheless I've always said I will trust Jose's judgement & if he is sold then so be it and I'm a big fan of Mata, although I can see him coming back to haunt us, there is barely a side in the world that wouldn't want Mata. One last point to add is that if he is sold (I sincerely hope he is not) then the same people on here who state he cannot make it here will be crying out for his creativity when we hit a dodgy patch, the one thing that sets him apart from most pro's is his ability to create chances, his assists in the previous 2 seasons back that up - be careful what you wish for.........

It is really frustrating, painful and disheartening seeing this situation with Mata right now, it really is. You pretty much said what I wanted to and just to add, I believe Mata is trying to adapt and change his game a little to suit what Mourinho wants but the problem is and arguably has been from the beginning that, he is not a Mourinho type of player. And because of that, once Mourinho sees or feels Mata is not performing or doing what he wants, he's immediately taken off. Mata is simply suffering at the moment because he's not a player like Oscar, Willian etc.

In regards to his reaction today, maybe it wasn't the best and he shouldn't be reacting like that but I don't really blame him TBH. Think it's too easy for us sometimes to be armchair critics and slam Mata for his negative reaction. Even a calm and cool person (like Mata) has got to be frustrated and showed it sometimes in the heat of moment and given the frustrations Mata has endured this season like being subbed far too often, it is normal if he just suddenly loses it a bit. Don't tell me none of you lots have lost your cool once in awhile?

It's just like what GodZola said above really, the situation is tough for Mata as when he gets a few games and play well, then suddenly he gets dropped in the next game or in such case like today, he was doing alright but then was taken off and all because he's not quite the player that Mourinho prefers. And not to mention, I don't even think Mourinho has played him as a No.10 yet and allow him to flourish. Mata may be able to play out wide but doesn't necessarily have the abilities to truly flourish there. It's just a case of Mata having his own strengths and Mourinho prefers different of strengths in a player.

It's really going to be sad and painful but for his sake, I hope Mata leaves and go to a club where his abilities can be maximized so he can really flourish. There is not much point of keeping a player where his and the manager's strengths and preference are not compatible. Would rather just have the club buying players that fit into what Mourinho wants really. *sigh*

[The_Flash 1,144]

If you look at how many players have been 'dropped' or simply left out of the team this season (Azpi, Luiz, Cahill, Mikel, Cole, Cech, Torres) then why Mata thinks he has a divine right to start I don't know. No-one else has given that reaction and the majority have reacted well and improved their performance.

Mata hasn't. Very disappointed in his reaction and he's no fool. He knows the media very well and knows exactly what they will be looking for.

I have to agree there has been many plauers dropped particularly David Luiz and he hasn't reacted like that.

Can someone tell me, all that stuff after the Liverpool game about him getting to go Portugal yet he was sitting in he stands with Lampard Sr ???

[Jase 43,479]

I have to agree there has been many plauers dropped particularly David Luiz and he hasn't reacted like that.

Can someone tell me, all that stuff after the Liverpool game about him getting to go Portugal yet he was sitting in he stands with Lampard Sr ???

Mourinho was just joking when he said. Obviously Luiz wouldn't be going to Portugal at this time with games coming thick and fast!

[Joker10 946]

Mou wants his attacking players be decisive and play with speed when on the ball and on the counter. Juan just not a good fit to how Mou wants to play even de bruyne is a much more natural fit to play under Mou.

[mac.bo 48]

Theres nobody in the Chelsea team that has the genuises of Mata imho for all that i like the workrate of Willian,Oscar,Hazard,and would like Schurrle to rise to their level,but the type of player that Mata is they are too few and far between to find,for all the talk about how Roman wants Cfc to play surley players like Mata should be built around ffs...Has Jose not watched what Mata has brought the last 2years,He could and should be heading to Zola road of Chelsea glory

[Land 331]

I hate how people only mention work-rate when the subject is the reason for Mata's benching.I think people give little credit to what our other 10s give to our team offensively.Mata simply isn't made for a counter attacking team.You can look back at our CL winning campaign and just see how average he was because of our park the bus system.

Hazard-Oscar-Willian has potential to be something like Ribery-Muller-Robben in the near future.Maybe even better since our players are also amazing playmakers.

[Amblève. 4,995]

Instead of buying Schürrle/Willian and keeping KDB when we wasn't even gonna be part of this team we should have simply brought in a top midfielder so our best player from the last 2 years doesn't have to be sacrificed.

[Korea 734]

Instead of buying Schürrle/Willian and keeping KDB when we wasn't even gonna be part of this team we should have simply brought in a top midfielder so our best player from the last 2 years doesn't have to be sacrificed.

Juan Mata was never in Jose plan.... Mata was always going to get sacrificed eventually....

Whether it was Willian, Schurrle or whoever, he was going to bring someone else in...

It's really going to be sad and painful but for his sake, I hope Mata leaves and go to a club where his abilities can be maximized so he can really flourish. There is not much point of keeping a player where his and the manager's strengths and preference are not compatible. Would rather just have the club buying players that fit into what Mourinho wants really. *sigh*

And what club is this? What big club is going to maximize Mata skillset and hide his weaknesses?

[Thistle 77]

There was a moment in the game where someone went to play a through ball to a sprinting Mata. It was intercepted easily by a Saints player and you Juan threw his head back in dismay. The old Mata would have just jogged on but you could see it click in his brain that he had to get the ball back so sprinted and forced the defender to play the ball quicker than he would have liked. Nothing major but it shows the impact Jose is having on him.

[LDN Blue 7,903]

I have to agree there has been many plauers dropped particularly David Luiz and he hasn't reacted like that.

Ah come on, we all know Mata hasn't been treated like those guys. Players like Luiz still get a lot of match time and are actually part of Mou's squad. Mata's just being played because he's there and he's usually now always the first to be taken off. It's different.