Spanish midfielder playmaker Juan Mata looks to be surplus to requirements at Manchester United this summer
Jose Mourinho’s arrival at Manchester United looks to have inevitably signalled the end of the Red Devils career of Spanish playmaker Juan Mata. Mourinho sold Mata at Chelsea, despite the fact that he had won the clubs Player of the Year award in the previous campaign.
I am sure Mata will not be surprised to be surplus to requirements at Old Trafford and it looks like he may be heading elsewhere this summer.
A number of media outlets, including talkSPORT are claiming that his destination could be Everton.
This move would illustrate Everton’s ambition
Everton is suddenly a different club to the one that had been fighting above its financial weight under David Moyes and Roberto Martinez for so long.
The arrival of new majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri and high-profile boss Ronald Koeman looks to have the Merseysiders moving in the right direction. Moshiri has promised investment in the squad and Koeman’s stature in the game brings a lot of pulling power.
The club have for too long been sleeping giants of the English game, but a move like this would illustrate that the Toffees once again mean business. Juan Mata is no doubt a quality player and would improve most Premier League teams.
Mata would be a key player at Everton
The little Spaniard is something of a luxury player, but boy do Everton fans crave somebody of his talents after two seasons of watching a team struggle to produce results under the hapless Roberto Martinez.
United boss Mourinho has a problem with Mata because he does not track-back for the team as much as he likes his players to. However, an attacking midfielder is there to help create and score goals for the team.
The advantages of Mata’s attacking play definitely out-weight the fact that his strengths do not lie in the defensive facets of his game. The Spanish international is still in his prime at just 28-years-old and could be playing at the top level of the game for many years to come.
Mata has made 104 appearances for United, scoring 26 goals and producing a further 20 assists for the Red Devils. That record is pretty good considering he has played in some poor United teams by their high standards.
Mata is a guy who needs to be loved by the fans and the coaching staff for him to produce his best football. The Evertonians have spoken and he would be a highly popular signing for the Toffees.
If he plays well for the Toffees then Juan Mata has the chance to become a hero on Merseyside. From interviews he comes across as a relative humble guy and has previously expressed admiration for Toffees boss Ronald Koeman from their time together at Valencia.
It seems a reunion at Everton for the pair is now a realistic prospect, especially as Mata has just lost his favoured number eight shirt to United’s new signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Everton could be transformed this summer
Dutch boss Ronald Koeman has been brought in at Everton to turn the team’s fortunes around following two poor campaigns under Roberto Martinez. He built a very good squad at Southampton and he will be required to do the same at Everton.
The difference is the Dutchman is now shopping in a completely different market to the one he was shopping in at Southampton.
Koeman has already completed the first signing of his Everton career by bringing in compatriot Maarten Stekelenburg from Fulham for a fee reported to be under £1million.
The signing was an underwhelming one, but the 33-year-old has likely been brought in as a back-up ‘keeper with a view for Koeman to bring in a first choice. The deal makes sense as prior to Stekelenburg’s arrival Everton had just one senior ‘keeper in Spaniard Joel Robles, following Tim Howard’s summer exit from the club.
No doubt this is only the start of Koeman’s attempts to transform the Toffees team this summer. Bigger signings will arrive and better players will be playing in royal blue next season.
Which players arrive this summer will dictate where the Toffees finish next season, with the Merseysiders currently odds of 9/2 to finish in the top six of the Premier League.
The signing of Juan Mata from Manchester United would be a head-turner for the Toffees and it could just be the start of what everybody at the club hopes will be much brighter times ahead for men from Merseyside.
Will Juan Mata be plying his trade at Everton next season?
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