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Manchester United complete £37.1m signing of Juan Mata

By on January 25, 2014

Manchester United have announced their long expected signing of Chelsea’s Juan Mata for a club record deal of £37.1 million after the Spaniard flew into Manchester via helicopter to complete a medical at the club’s training ground Carrington.  Mata, who was Chelsea’s player of the season in 2011/12 and 2012/13, will make Chelsea a profit of around £14 million after originally moving the London club for 23 million pounds in 2011 as United announced the news following Mata’s press conference alongside David Moyes in Manchester.

Mata, during an incredibly long speech, told MUTV: “I am thrilled to be joining United. I have enjoyed some very happy years at Chelsea but the time has come for a new challenge. United is the perfect place for me and I am excited at the chance I have to be part of the next phase in the club’s history.

“Chelsea is a top club and I have many friends there but you cannot turn down the chance to join Manchester United. I look forward to helping the manager and the team be successful in the coming years.

Mata is expected to make his debut in United colors on Tuesday against Cardiff City in the Premier League, and will be looking to lift The Red Devils within twelve points of the top of the table with a debut win.  The Spanish international will also be looking to score on his debut, a feat which would not be that surprising considering his record of 20 goals in 64 games for Chelsea last season. Mata also said that he was eager to make an immediate impact at the club.  “I’m looking forward to playing my first game and to score,” the 25-year-old said.

Mata added: “Today is a very happy day for me, I’m very proud to be here. It’s amazing knowing that a club like United is interested in me.

“It’s a massive club. I thought ‘wow’ when I heard of the interest. I know this is a big money deal, I’m confident that everything is going to be ok, I will try my best, and I think everything is going to be right because the squad is very good, the manager is very good, the fans are unbelievable so we have everything to succeed.

“To be honest (the transfer) is a bit surprising but I have to say that I’m really grateful to Chelsea, the owner, to people working at the club and the fans, they voted me the best player of the last two seasons, and I will always be grateful to them. The last six months were difficult for me, I didn’t play as much as I wanted to, I understand that football is a team sport so I respected that situation but now with this position, the chance to come to United was a great moment for me to carry on with my career and to enjoy another massive club.

“David De Gea was texting me the last 5/6 days, ‘when are you coming, when are you landing, are you coming by helicopter or bike’!’ At the end I am here, I am very happy to be here with him, because he is a very good friend, he is an amazing goalkeeper and top guy and he was important for me arriving here.

“Obviously a player like me, who tries to score, assist, tries to be a creative player, it will be amazing for me to play with these kind of players, Rooney, RVP, Adnan, Valencia, Chicharito, Welbeck, all of them, they are amazing, they are top level, so I will try to do the best for the team.

“My best position, first of all playing! Playing, because it’s what I love, to play, and to smell the turf. But after I think I can play in the three positions behind the striker, I’ve managed to play on the left when I arrived at Chelsea, this season I play on the right, last season which probably the best season of my career I played behind the striker but it doesn’t matter as long as I play and the manager wants me to play

“I would like to win the Premier League here, it’s a very special trophy for every player who plays in this country and it would be amazing, and I think at this club you can achieve it because this club is used to winning leagues and I will try my best. Obviously I’m still young and I’ve been lucky to win some trophies but I want to win lots more.

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.