Juan Mata became Manchester United's record transfer signing when he joined from Chelsea in January this year. At £37 million the midfielder represents United's costliest ever purchase, dwarfing the previous record £30 million the club paid for Dimitar Berbatov in September 2008. Mata was earning a reported £70,000-a-week during his Chelsea days but earned himself a significant raise upon his move to the Theatre of Dreams, where he is picking up a weekly salary of £140,000. That makes him one of the Red Devil's highest-paid players, though like Kompany at 'noisy neighbours' City, is by no means the top earner at Old Trafford. The fee and wages United have agreed to pay Mata appear to be paying off so far, with the classy Spain international scoring six league goals in 15 appearances in the second-half of last season following his New Year move to the north west. He is expected to continue repaying his extraordinary price-tag with yet more exquisite performances in 2014-15.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
