Revisiting Arsenal's Failed Attempt to Sign Juan Mata Last Summer: What Happened

Never one to let an opportunity of signing a top-class creative player go to waste, no matter how packed his stable of attacking midfielders becomes, it likely surprised no one when Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger's pursuit of Valencia attacking midfielder Juan Mata was revealed in the news.

Priced at £20 million, Mata eventually packed his bags for England. Final stop: London.

It was just the west, where he joined Chelsea, instead of the north, where Gooners had hoped he'd sign for Arsenal.

Wenger was reported to have lodged an offer for Mata in July, only to have it rejected by Valencia. We all know what happened next.

Arsenal "remained confident" of signing Mata, even after the initial bid was scrapped. Mata appeared to want to come to the Emirates. It seemed to be just a matter of time before the deal was sealed.

Then Wenger came out in August and said that he would not be signing the Spaniard, adding in an icy tone that seeped through the page, "I don't have to give a reason [why]."

Considering that he was set to accrue a cool £58 million (see link above) from the sales of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, and everything had seemed to be going so well in the process just days before, it would have seemed that fans had some—if not every—justification to ask, "Why?"

Mata eventually signed for Chelsea for £23.5 million, and went on to become one of the Premier League's top newcomers this season, scoring six goals and chipping in 11 assists during league play. (He has 12 goals and 16 assists in all competitions.)

As was the case with teammate Frank Lampard, who enjoyed a fine season himself, Mata's true worth doesn't reside in the statistics.

His play for Chelsea this season has been nothing short of sensational. He played more on the left and right in attack under then-manager Andre Villas-Boas, but has shifted more centrally in Roberto di Matteo's 4-2-3-1 formation, sitting behind the lone striker.

No matter where he's played, though, he's been dangerous. His left foot is sublime, and his propensity for whipping in crosses with venom, along with his keen nose for goal, make him a near-priceless commodity.

Many felt Mata had every right to feel slighted that he did not make the PFA Team of the Year (in fact, no Chelsea player did)—a true testament to the standard he has set for himself his season.

Would he have made a positive impact for Arsenal? Likely, yes.

A man with that quality is too good not to. One need only look at how quickly Mikel Arteta adapted to the Arsenal style of play to realize that Mata could have done likewise, and likely would have if he'd been given the chance.

From an Arsenal perspective, the attacking midfield position has seen the most fluctuation this season.

While other positions have seen wholesale changes, that has mostly been due to injuries; Aaron Ramsey, the man tasked with "replacing" Fabregas at AMF to start the season, has since lost his place in the first team to Tomas Rosicky due to inadequate performance, not a knock.

Given the struggles Arsenal endured trying to get Robin van Persie the ball up front during the opening months of the season—for all his attributes, Ramsey's strength is not in distribution—Mata would have served as a welcome fulcrum in the middle of the park, operating in that midfield position.

The 23-year-old Mata came on as a 74th minute substitute in Saturday's match at the Emirates, which meant Gunners fans in attendance didn't get that long a look at what he can do. But if they've watched him at all this season, they already had a sense.

He's not as dynamic as Rosicky in getting forward, but he is a more dangerous technician than the Czech, who despite enjoying a fine season showed some severe signs of fatigue on Saturday, when he was far from his best.

Would-have, should-have is usually resigned for teams mired in difficulty. Arsenal, sitting in third place in the league standings at the moment, certainly are not in that state.

But it must be said that adding Mata before the season would have helped the cause.

During those opening months, when goals were at premium (Arsenal didn't score a goal until their third league game, and that was an 8-2 mauling at Old Trafford), Mata's class could have made a huge impact.

The time for feeling chagrined has passed. What has not, however, is the reasoning behind the scuppered move.

We don't understand why the transfer seemed to die such a quick death.