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The idea that Chelsea will loan Juan Mata anywhere is laughable

Juan Mata may not be a player that eventually retires at Chelsea, but I think it's safe enough to bet your house that he won't be leaving on loan in January

Michael Steele

That title seems like a bit of a statement, doesn't it? I bet you're all expecting to read a quote from someone letting the media know that the club have no intention to send their two-time player of the year out on loan for the remainder of the season, but unfortunately, I don't have one. What we do have are stupid stories like this one or this other one, so I'm simply going to respond with a whole lot of the common sense that both of these are lacking.

First and foremost, we need to consider what Chelsea would hope to achieve by loaning Juan Mata anywhere. Would he be expected to develop his game any further? Nope. Increase his value after two spectacular seasons? Doubtful. Is he wasting away without ever being used? The media would mostly lead you to this conclusion, but the reality of the matter is that he's still seeing plenty of minutes. There is basically no gain for Chelsea if they send him out on loan, especially as they're almost certain to be parting ways with Kevin De Bruyne in January.

Juan Mata is not on a large wage at the moment, and he's not a young player still looking to polish his game. He's been a regular member of the matchday squad, even if he's drifted between the starting lineup and the bench this season. Chelsea are still in a strong position for a title push, are alive in the FA Cup, and look like they have a strong chance to make a decent run in this season's Champions League. Depth is going to be massively important, and Chelsea would be stupid to even consider loaning out a valuable player they've given over 1,000 minutes this season already.

Is it possible that Juan Mata will eventually be moving on? Most certainly, and a permanent move over the summer wouldn't surprise me at all at this point (as much as it pains me to say it). He's a great player that's not being used as often as he would at most clubs, and plenty of clubs with lots of money would be thrilled to add a player of his caliber to their squad.

A permanent move in January also shouldn't be ruled out, though I'd certainly deem it unlikely at best. A loan though? The very concept is just stupid, and just doesn't pass the smell test. If it looks like a turd, and smells like a turd, it has no place in a serious discussion involving Juan Mata.

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