Chelsea Transfer News: Juan Mata's Comments Put End to Transfer Speculation

Was there any doubt Juan Mata would be staying at Chelsea?

The Daily Mirror's John Cross reported July 9 Jose Mourinho personally called Fernando Torres and Juan Mata to say they wouldn't be going anywhere this season. Mourinho later in the month even spoke of the player in glowing terms to Chelsea's official website and said that Mata was in his plans for next season.

Now, Mata has told Harry Pratt of the Daily Star that he's excited to play under the Special One and invigorated by the break he received after the Confederations Cup:

"

I met with Jose on my first day in training. I think he's a great manager who did a really great job the last time he was here.

The break was really good for me. I had time to rest and disconnect from football - but now I am back at Chelsea and really looking forward to the new season.

I'm really excited about it and I'm very happy to be here.

"

Can we put to bed any idea that Mata will be playing anywhere else in the upcoming season or wants out of the club?

Once the player was linked with Barcelona, the rumours wouldn't die, despite the protestations of the player himself.

Now that we're just a few weeks from the Premier League season, it's pretty safe to say that if a move were to happen, it would have already. Juan Mata is going to be a Chelsea player for the short term and likely for the long term, as there seems to be no reason for him to leave.

It's much the same as when you hear David Luiz's name mentioned with Barcelona, according to El Mundo Deportivo (per ESPN FC's Duncan McMath). What's the point in leaving Chelsea when you have everything you possibly ask for already?

You'll be playing under one of the best managers in the world.

Mourinho has built a reputation as more of a pragmatist who's not afraid to play defensively in order to win. That doesn't mean that creative players like Mata can't flourish. Cristiano Ronaldo, Wesley Sneijder, Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, Mesut Ozil, Diego Milito, etc. have all had great seasons under Mourinho. In many cases, attacking players spend the best years of their careers under Mourinho.

In terms of the club's chances of winning, you cannot do much better.

There's still some doubt as to how successful Mourinho can be in his second stint with the club, which is a fair enough question given the overall success, or lack thereof, of managers returning to clubs. You'd still have to at least put Chelsea in the top three in the Premier League, with a great shot of winning the title.

Nobody's running away with the league this year. It's either going to be one of Manchester United, Manchester City or Chelsea at the top of the table at the end of the season.

Granted Barcelona are guaranteed to finish first or second in La Liga, there's even more questions hovering around the Camp Nou. The Catalan club hasn't addressed any of their problems, and Tata Martino is a bit of a wild card.

If you want to go to Paris Saint-Germain, you're spending your time in Ligue 1, the quality of which from top to bottom is still lagging behind Europe's top leagues. 

Mata has more stability at Chelsea, and probably even more importantly, he can make as much money at Stamford Bridge as he can anywhere else.

What's not to like?