Arsene Wenger was ‘surprised’ when Chelsea sold ‘great player’ to Premier League rival, it remains one of the Blues’ strangest transfer moves
Arsene Wenger was left shocked at the time when Chelsea sold a super talented player to a rival Premier League club in the 2010s.
In Chelsea’s history, they’ve been at the centre of some huge transfer sagas. Of course, there’s been a mixed bag of successes and failures.
Chelsea’s most expensive sales include the likes of Eden Hazard, Mason Mount and Kai Havertz.
Under the current Blues owners, the jury is still out on their transfer activity because things run very differently to how they did under predecessor Roman Abramovich.
Arsene Wenger was surprised when Chelsea sold Juan Mata to Manchester United
Back in 2014, it came as a shock to many people when Chelsea sold Juan Mata to rivals Manchester United.
Mata, who moved to Stamford Bridge in 2011, won the club’s Player of the Season award in each of his first two years at the club. However, midway through his third season in West London, he left for Old Trafford after falling down the pecking order of then-Blues manager Jose Mourinho.
Arsenal legend Arsene Wenger, who was in the role as Gunners manager at the time, was left shocked by the Mata mid-season transfer.
Speaking back in January 2014, Wenger said via The Guardian: “I am surprised because Juan Mata is a great player and they sell a great player to a direct opponent.” When asked if Chelsea could regret the transfer, Wenger added: “They could.”
Mata was grateful for his time at Chelsea, where the attacking midfielder became a Champions League winner and a household name. However, the bulk of the Spaniard’s time in English football was spent up north with Man Utd.
Incidentally, the 36-year-old playmaker is currently still active with Australian club Western Sydney.
Selling Juan Mata remains one of Chelsea’s strangest decisions
Mata went on to enjoy an eight-year spell in Manchester with English giants Man Utd, but he never recaptured the kind of brilliance he showed during two and a half years as a Chelsea player.
| Club | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Trophies |
| Chelsea | 135 | 33 | 53 | 3 |
| Manchester United | 285 | 51 | 42 | 4 |
When you see the numbers above, it puts into perspective just how good Mata was at Chelsea. He was the magician on the football pitch pulling the strings and standing out in a dressing room full of world-class individuals.
In many ways, Cole Palmer has dazzled at Chelsea like Mata as an elite playmaker in the No 10 position. Hopefully, he ends up staying for the long-term rather than going too early.
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