Could Chelsea's Juan Mata be on the move? The Spaniard, who was once the lead man for the Blues, has found his role to be a bit unstable under new manager Jose Mourinho. However, the Portuguese boss wants Mata to remain with the club despite the January window underway.
"I want to keep him. I don't want him to go. That is my opinion, my wish, but my door is open," said Mourinho, according to ESPNFC. "The club's door is open too, so when a player wants to speak to us we are there waiting for them. If you are asking do you want the club to sell him, no -- I don't want to."
Mata has struggled mightily in 2013-14 with his club. In just 13 matches this season he has only recorded two assists; last season he started 31 games for Chelsea (he has just 11 starts this year and will not get anywhere near the number from last season) and contributed 12 goals and 12 assists with more consistent minutes. Mata was left on the bench during Chelsea's UEFA Super Cup match against Bayern Munich earlier this season and was left out for much of the early going. He managed to get more time in recent weeks, but was visibly upset by being substituted out of a recent match against Southampton.
"I think his frustration was because of the result because we knew we had to win," Mourinho noted about Mata's emotional reaction. "If we don't win this game the difference to the leaders is bigger.
"When he came off the team was losing two points, so I think his frustration was about that," Mourinho added. "At the end of the game everybody, including him, was happy in the dressing room and everybody was celebrating the victory."
Mata is only 26 years old and could potentially fit into a team that is looking to build up its midfield; an example could be Real Madrid or Barcelona.
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