West Ham United

Juan Mata: The pros and cons of a West Ham move for the Spaniard

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There are a few reports circling in the past week that West Ham are eyeing up Juan Mata’s situation at Manchester United following Jose Mourinho’s appointment.

Mourinho famously sold Mata the season after the midfielder won back to back Player of the Season awards for Chelsea, mainly due to his lack of workrate and the fact that he preferred Oscar to play in that number 10 role.

Whether that was the right decision has been questioned for the last few years, but Mata hasn’t played his best football since he left Stamford Bridge.

The question remains, would a move to West Ham reignite his career, and would he fit in at The Olympic Stadium?

Pros

  • Mata is an extremely talented footballer, there is no denying that. As the main creative instigator in the Chelsea midfield, he played a huge role in them winning the Champions League and FA Cup under Roberto Di Matteo. He was also threatening to become the best in his position in the world, with everything good coming through him.
  • His work rate has been questioned, but that isn’t his job. Similar to Dimitri Payet, West Ham fans don’t expect him to chase the ball down and win it, or spend his entire game hunting down lost causes, we prefer him to wait for the right moment to do something influential in attack.
  • Mata is the right age for a move. Similar again to Payet, at 28 he would be available for significantly less than Manchester United paid for him because he is nearing 30, but he could still easily have 5 years at the top level.
  • It would be another sign that the club is moving in the right direction and moving for big players. Signing players like Mata would bring other stars as well, as it would make West Ham a more exciting proposition.
  • Pace has never been a big part of his game, so losing pace with age isn’t a concern.
  • He gives us another option from set pieces. With his left foot and Payet’s right foot, goalkeepers will be extremely nervous at free kicks, and it would make us even more of a force to be reckoned with from these situations.
  • Brings far more depth for next season, with Europa games and the games that Lanzini missed this year, we could do with another player in that position.

Cons

  • Wages are an issue. Mata is reportedly on around £200,000 a week and wouldn’t want to take a significant pay cut at this time in career. Can we afford that? And would our other star players suddenly be required a pay rise after seeing what he is earning?
  • Mata has been played out of position all season by Van Gaal, on the right of midfield. He has put players like Jesse Lingard and Ashley Young into the central position instead of Mata. Does this mean he doesn’t believe that Mata is capable of playing in his favourite position to great effect anymore?
  • If we did sign the Spaniard, he would need to be the focal point in the team. This means playing him as the number 10, and giving him the ball whenever we need something to happen. We already have Dimitri Payet as our main creative force, and Payet has been sensational all season. Do we need a similar type player when we already have one of the best in the league?
  • It would mean spending big on a player in an area where we need depth, rather than another starter. Our midfield trio of Payet, Lanzini and Antonio is balanced in attack and defence. Bringing a player in who isn’t in form and benching one of our best players this season wouldn’t be wise, and Mata would need to start games if we did sign him. It’s a risk.

Verdict

Whilst Mata is clearly a talented footballer, it doesn’t seem like the right time to sign him. We have a settled midfield with our chief playmaker receiving awards for his performances this season. Mata would be a real statement about West Ham’s ambition for the coming seasons, but in our strongest area of the pitch it wouldn’t be worth investing big in this position when we can use that on a striker and a versatile midfielder.

Mata would bring goals and assists, but his contribution to the Manchester United doesn’t touch Payet’s contribution to the West Ham side. If Payet was to leave, Mata would be a fantastic replacement, but at the moment it doesn’t look like a move that will work out for West Ham.

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