Mata: Torres sold Chelsea move to me
CHELSEA’S newest recruit Juan Mata has cited Spain team-mate Fernando Torres as a major influence on his decision to move to England.
The 23-year-old has signed a five-year deal at Stamford Bridge after joining from Valencia for £23.5m to become Andre Villas-Boas’ fourth summer signing, following the arrivals of Oriol Romeu, Romelu Lukaku and Thibaut Courtois.
And Mata revealed it was a conversation with Torres that persuaded him to swap La Liga for the Premier League.
“Fernando got me excited about the thought of coming here,” he said. “He said it would be good for me here and that me and him together could be good.”
And Mata, who was also pursued by Tottenham and Arsenal, wants to get down to business straight away and challenge for silverware.
He added: “I want to adapt as quickly as possible to my new surroundings, my colleagues and this league, and I would love to win a trophy in my first season. If it can be the Premier League then great.”