Yesterday rumours surfaced that Chelsea’s offer for Wayne Rooney was £10m + David Luiz or Juan Mata which was flatly rejected by Manchester United. It has since been denied that it was a player+cash deal but the actual offer from Chelsea will not be disclosed so the part exchange deal could have some truth to it. The original source was BBC writer Ben Smith (@BenSmithBBC) who is reliable and he still stands by the story. Could this deal actually happen? Get the latest betting tips to find out what the bookies think.
Many would consider this to be an incredible transfer if it was to go through with Juan Mata being a revelation since his arrival at Stamford Bridge. He was picked as part of the PFA Team of the Year last season and he has played a key role in both their Champions League and Europa League triumphs. It is strange that he would be offered to David Moyes but there have been whispers that Jose Mourinho doesn’t see the Spaniard as part of his plans. Also the other potential player being offered to Manchester United, David Luiz, is also seen to be surplus to requirements by Mourinho, so this story isn’t beyond the realms of possibility.
Last season, Mata had a minutes per chance created of 29 which is better than Rooney who created a chance every 41 minutes. This isn’t too surprising as the Chelsea player is a more creative player than the powerful English forward. Meanwhile the Spaniard had a minutes per clear cut chance created of 196 which is again superior to the Manchester United player who created a clear cut chance every 224 minutes. In the assist ranks, Mata managed 12 which was two more than Rooney however Rooney created a goal every 202 minutes to Mata’s every 229 minutes.
Furthermore, they both managed 12 goals but Rooney’s came at a quicker rate as he scored every 168 minutes, while Mata managed to net every 229 minutes. This is down to Rooney being used in a more attacking role than Mata who was predominantly used as a number 10, while Rooney was sometimes employed as a striker.
During the 2011/12 season, Mata again bettered Rooney creatively with a minutes per chance created of 25 compared to the Englishman who managed to create a chance every 56 minutes. However Rooney created clear cut chances more often with a minutes per clear cut chance created of 258.1 compared to Mata’s 281.2. The little Spaniard made more assists than the English forward by far with 13 to Rooney’s 4. In this season, Rooney was Manchester United’s main forward which shows in his goal tally of 27 which was 21 more than the Chelsea playmaker. The marksman managed to get those 27 goals at 105 minutes apiece while Mata only scored every 422 minutes.
Who would the deal benefit?
The deal would actually benefit both sides and there’s no loser in this deal unless Chelsea fans really do not want to part with fan favourite Mata.
The addition of Robin van Persie last summer has maybe affected Rooney into thinking that he’s second choice at Manchester United as he is operating as either a support striker or he is warming the bench. The possibility to swap Mata with Rooney would be beneficial to both sides. Moyes would be able to pick a successful number 10 who would create far more chances for his Dutch striker and also contribute with a decent amount of goals. While Chelsea would have a great goalscorer that could play in place of Fernando Torres and Demba Ba who have yet to secure a starting berth at Stamford Bridge. Losing Mata could be a huge blow for the Blues but they have Andre Schurrle, Oscar and Eden Hazard who could create enough for Rooney.
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