World Football: 5 Things Juan Mata Will Bring to Chelsea

Earlier today, Valencia CF announced that they have reached an agreement for Juan Mata with English side Chelsea. With the the imminent arrival of the Spanish international, subject to a medical, this will be the fourth addition by new Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas.

Villas-Boas had previously stated his interest in Mata, and now with an accepted £26 million bid, he can finally implement the Real Madrid academy graduate into his lineup. The World Cup winner can make a severe impact to the West London outfit. If he can adapt quickly to the style of the Barclays Premier League, he will be one of the biggest offensive threats in the world. 

Calm and Steady Pace

At times, Chelsea's midfield and forwards seem rushed, and as a result they give the ball away cheaply. These asinine turnovers led to other teams counter-attacking, or even worse. When it comes to top teams like Manchester United, they led to goals.

It would be extremely helpful if Chelsea had a player who could slow things down and settle the pace of the game; that is where Juan Mata comes in. Like other world class Spaniards, Mata has the ability to calm his team down and dictate the speed of the game.

With the ability to set the pace of a match, he can pick out a killer pass. The culmination of these abilities will make him one of the biggest threats in the English Premier League.

An Authentic Winger

When new manager Andre Villas-Boas took over, he decided that Chelsea were going to play the 4-3-3 formation. The only problem with this decision was that Chelsea only had one real winger in Florent Malouda.

Other players, such as Nicolas Anelka, Daniel Sturridge and Salomon Kalou, are converted wingers, and this is why there is a lack of creativity from the wide positions. With Juan Mata, you get an authentic winger and a superb one at that.

He has a great amount of speed and magnificent crossing ability, which will surely help players like Fernando Torres and Didier Drogba find the back of the net.

Youth in an Aging Blues Squad

Let's take a look at the Chelsea signings this summer: Romelu Lukaku, Oriol Romeu, Thibaut Courtois and now Juan Mata. It is clear what Andre Villas-Boas wants to do; he wants to inject youth into the team.

With most of the team nearing or going over the age of 30, it is very important to build a team for the future, regardless of what happens in the coming seasons. Although people will claim that these young players are not ready to start for Chelsea, they would be horribly mistaken to say that Mata is inexperienced.

The Spaniard has played on the biggest stages, such as in the knock-out stages of the UEFA Champions League, and he has gone up against some of the best teams around the world, such as Barcelona and Real Madrid.

In these matches he has impressed, even though he went against top class fullbacks. With this much experience at such a young age, Mata will scare opposing defenses for a long time.

Scoring & Supplying

Most people think of wingers as players who are simply supposed to deliver the ball and help their strikers score. However, Juan Mata is a bit of an unorthodox winger since he can not only deliver an incisive pass, but he can also cut in and out inside the box, leave defenders confused and put the ball into the back of the net.

In a lot of ways he will remind the Stamford Bridge faithful of Dutchman Arjen Robben, except he is less injury-prone. Mata has the uncanny ability to score and supply for his team.

Immediate Impact

It takes time for signings to adapt to the Premier League, but Juan Mata looks as if he will make an immediate impact for Chelsea, even though he is so young. The soon-to-be Blues winger will try to get in between the cracks of the EPL's defenses and help supply his teammates, a lot like a Spaniard who impressed analysts and fans last year, David Silva.

Players like Lukaku, Romeu and McEachran will all take time to become stars for the West London outfit, but Blues fans should be excited since Juan Mata is set to make an instant impact and introduce himself in the Barclays Premier League within a few matches.