Valencia Officially Confirm Juan Mata Move To Chelsea

Valencia have announced an agreement in principle to sell Juan Mata to Chelsea FC, according to a release on the club's website:

El Valencia Club de Fútbol ha llegado a un principio de acuerdo con el Chelsea FC para el traspaso del futbolista Juan Manuel Mata. El acuerdo está sujeto a las pruebas médicas pertinentes.

...(translate)

Valencia Football Club has reached an agreement in principle with Chelsea FC for the transfer of the player Juan Manuel Mata. The agreement is subject to the relevant medical tests.

So, that's transfer more or less complete then. Steve profiled Juan Mata earlier today, so if you want to see what that's about, check out A Closer Look At Juan Mata. My initial reaction - this is a fantastic move, assuming the prices reported by Marca earlier are correct. The transfer fee might seem expensive at around €28M, but Mata's 23, has tonnes of resale value, and is significantly cheaper in terms of wages than, say, Ashley Young or Samir Nasri. Chelsea have quietly been upgrading the squad without spending a tonne of money to do so. This is a great piece of business by the club.

Beyond the business angle, Juan Mata is the sort of player everyone wants to see. Intelligent, skillful and immensely tricky, the 23-year-old has every hope of succeeding in the Premier League. He's not the biggest guy in the world, but neither is David Silva and that hasn't really stopped the City winger from thriving. Assuming he passes his physical, Mata is immediately Chelsea's top option on the flanks. Welcome to Stamford Bridge, Juan. we're looking forward to many good years in Chelsea blue.

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