Chelsea: Where Does The Future Lie For Juan Mata?

Despite all the talent Juan Mata undoubtedly posses which saw him win back-to-back Player of the Year awards at Chelsea, you could sense that as soon as Jose Mourinho returned to his spiritual home at Stamford Bridge, that Mata would not be of such of importance for Chelsea compared to the past two years. And after being substituted after just 53 minutes at St. Mary's on Sunday, (where Chelsea went onto to win 3-0, with Mata's replacement Oscar playing a part in all 3 goals) the Spaniard did not hold back on showing his frustration, raising more questions over the future of the playmaker. Since then Jose Mourinho went on to say that he would prefer if Mata was to remain at the club, however he will not hold back the Spaniard if he requests a transfer. One of the biggest stories of the return of Mourinho, was the Portuguese's reported lack of faith in Mata, alongside Brazilian centre-back David Luiz - which resulted in the two players being linked with moves away from Stamford Bridge. And when the two did struggle to work their way into the starting line-up at the start of the season, it took little time for the speculation to start over their respective futures to intensify. Mourinho started the season with Belgium youngster Kevin De Bruyne taking the number 10 spot, however, a rocky start to the season saw the Portuguese manger come under criticism for leaving out Mata - with pundits claiming that he did not know his strongest line-up. Since, Mourinho has seemed to have settled with Oscar and Hazard as 2 of the 3 attacking midfielders whilst the final spot rotates with summer signings Willian and Andre Schurrle along with Mata - a role you would not expect a player of such ability would be forced to fulfill. And out of Mata's 13 Premiership starts, he has been substituted off of 9 of those games which appears to indicate that Mourinho has more faith in his other midfield options.

Alongside Mata, it has been reported that fellow Chelsea number 10 De Bruyne is looking to move permanently away from the London club as he looks to secure his place at this summer's World Cup - the Bundesliga thought to be the preferred destination for the attacking-midfielder, sparking interest from VfL Wolfsburg. If the departure of De Bruyne was to occur transfer during the January period, it would likely delay any transfer of Mata to the summer - a period where transfers of such quality players are much more frequent and so Chelsea can retain the depth in their squad which makes them title contenders. However, Mata will also have to take into consideration his World Cup chances where there is an abundance of Spanish talent he will have to compete with - so perhaps playmaker will force a move January so get vital game-time needed to give him the best chance of getting into a highly competitive Spanish squad - although Mata has shown previous loyalty to the Blues. Back in the summer a number of clubs were alerted to the possibilities of Mata's departure, with concrete interest coming from French giants Paris-Saint-Germain. There have been rumours throughout the season that the French champions are willing to pay £30 million for the playmaker however, it now confirmed that Juventus's Paul Pogba has become the number one target for PSG who are preparing a £45 million bid in the summer - something which may prevent PSG fielding a bid for Mata too. As we know though, PSG are not short of funds and could also sell Argentine Javier Pastore (who has failed to live up to his potential in Paris) to make way for the Spaniard. Whether Mata would join such a team is unknown, especially as PSG possess the same or arguably more depth in their squad compared to Chelsea, when Mata may want guaranteed first team football - something PSG may not be able to provide. Along with PSG, there had also been interest from Chelsea's rivals; Arsenal, Spurs and Manchester United. Any interest from Arsenal though has since cooled after the acquisition of Mesut Ozil and now Arsenal's focus has shifting to securing a world class striker - a player like Mata is not what Arsenal require given the range of options the Gunners have in attacking midfield. Spurs on the other hand have struggled most of the season getting goals, a player like Mata could be a perfect way to help the North London club continue their new found goal-scoring abilities. Whether Tottenham will be happy to once again fork out £30 million for one player remains to be seen, and question marks hang over if Mata could fit into Spur's new manager Tim Sherwood's 442 system.

Manchester United have also struggled in the creative department, having to rely on the impressive form of Wayne Rooney for large chunks of the season so far. Mata and Rooney were subject of a swap deal earlier this season with Rooney becoming Mourinho's number 1 target in the summer however, Rooney currently appears content with staying at Old Trafford and Mourinho seems to have given up on landing United's talisman. Also, you would also expect United to concentrate on buying a winger along with a young defensive midfielder who could ease the workload on the ageing Michael Carrick. There has also been recent interest from Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid. Italian side Inter have not had much success since Mourinho departed the club back in 2010 and currently sit 5th in Serie A - a signing like Juan Mata could be exactly what an Inter side mixed with youth and experience needs to help them recapture their glory days. Chelsea have also shown interest Inter's Colombian midfielder Fredy Guarin which could give the teams a chance to negotiate a swap deal between the two teams. Atletico Madrid meanwhile are a team who are only going up and are the surprise leaders of the Liga BBVA under influential manager Diego Simone - which could be an attractive proposition for Spaniard such as Mata. Atletico will also be looking to hold onto their key players - Diego Costa and Koke have been constantly linked to the Premierships leading clubs - continued success for Spanish club alongside acquisitions such as Juan Mata will only convince these players to remain in Madrid.