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Benfica have just announced that the Nemanja Matic deal is official, for a sum of €25 million. Chelsea have also confirmed the move, and had a picture of Matic signing his paperwork to share:
We're delighted to announce the signing of Nemanja Matic from Benfica... http://t.co/xujNAzO3oF #CFC pic.twitter.com/YYQmEYqZeR
— Chelsea FC (@chelseafc) January 15, 2014
Jose Mourinho had the following to say about Matic:
'I am very pleased that Nemanja is returning to Chelsea. He has grown as a player in Portugal and has become a fantastic all-round midfielder. I am sure he will become a very important member of the squad and help us to achieve our ambitions.'
Matic will re-join a Blues squad that looks vastly different than the one which he left in 2011. There are currently only seven members of the first team squad that were also here when Matic last put on a Chelsea kit, and it's not hard to picture several of those players leaving the club in June.
The move gives Jose Mourinho a much more complete option in the midfield than he previously had available, and should finally allow Chelsea to call that area a strength. It's been a long overdue move, and should help with Chelsea's title push during the second half of the season.
Unfortunately, Matic won't be available to help the Blues in the Champions League this season. He's cup-tied with Benfica already, and won't take part in European competition again until Chelsea's campaign kicks off next year. Hopefully that will be as a participant in our third straight UEFA Super Cup.
