Chelsea Transfer News: Jose Mourinho's Juan Mata Comments Show Sound Reasoning

Upon hearing that Chelsea would agree to sell Juan Mata to rivals Manchester United last January, many were left confused as to why, but Jose Mourinho has spoken to show there was sound logic behind the deal.It's already been hypothesised that Mourinho's other options in Mata's midfield domain were behind the decision to let Mata leave, which the Portuguese toldThe Telegraph's Gary Neville (h/t Ben Jefferson of theExpress) was part of his reasoning:With these assets or players who are not fundamental for me, it's where you - meaning, my club - have to do the best possible job for me. Is this easy to say when you are talking about very good players' It's not easy.For example, Mata to Man Utd. We are losing a very good player to a direct opponent. Would this have happened 10 years ago' Maybe not.But in the modern football and the new economic reality [for Chelsea], if Man Utd pays you an important amount of money he has to go.It is my club's vision. It's my boss, Mr Abramovich, the board. And I share it.I'm not the sort of manager that says - no, not to Man Utd. Sell Mata to Juventus or Barcelona but not Man Utd.Chelsea cannot have 20 replicas. I cannot have Fabregas and another Fabregas getting the same salary. If he can't play I can adapt and put Oscar, say, here.It's a somewhat disappointing turn in football over the past decade that managers have become increasingly aware of the business side aspect of the transfer market. At some clubs, it's nearly impossible not to.With the money being offered of great value to Mourinho's hopes in building his ideal squad, he's right to describe the 37.1 million bid as too good to turn down, as one can be sure Roman Abramovich was aware, too.In a way, it resembles the 50 million deal that took David Luiz to Paris Saint-Germain over the summer. Was the player of value' Yes. Were they the only first-choice contender in their position' No. Does that make the sale acceptable' Certainly.For some, the evolution of the sport won't be enough to justify selling to a direct rival and risk strengthening their silverware chances, but these are the days we live in.No longer is it so easy to hold out due to club allegiances when the long-term benefits to one's own party are so vast, and in this case, bringing in Cesc Fabregas was something permitted directly as a result of Mata's exit.Now that Fabregas is thriving in arguably superior fashion to what his predecessor ever achieved at Stamford Bridge, it wouldn't be of any surprise to hear the lovelorn Mata admirers somewhat quietened of late.TheDaily Mirror's Oliver Holt has suggested earlier this season that Mata isn't at his best in United colours, either:Initially, Oscar was seen as successor to the throne in attacking midfield, and indeed he may yet turn out to be the long-term string-puller who Mourinho has seemingly envisioned.In 54 Premier League starts, the Brazilian has 14 goals and 14 assists to his name, per Transfermarkt, which is by no means a bad tally for one still just 23 years of age.His project is an ongoing one, but Fabregas is an in-form asset thriving in the present day, who has gone about vindicating his manager's decision-making over the past year in efficient manner.This isn't to say we'll see Manchester United and Liverpool or Arsenal and Tottenham holding hands in the transfer market anytime soon. Those decisions would yield far more impacting permutations than those between the Red Devils and the Blues.At the time of his departure, Mata was being siphoned out of the Chelsea starting XI so that another might take his place, and with the West Londoners now on track to dominate the Premier League, it's looking like smarter business by the week.Read more World Football news on BleacherReport.com
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