13 Jul 2022 08:38:50
Orta has apparently been in contact with Juan Mata's dad over a deal to bring Mata to ER for at least a season.
13 Jul 2022 10:22:28
34?
Can’t see the point in even a year.
Good player but too slow for our team and wages too high. He should go to an easier league now.
13 Jul 2022 12:20:51
Said previously, when someone on here posed the question of whether we should consider him, that he’s too slow etc, which certainly would be the case if we were looking to him as a regular starter. Presumably, IF we are genuinely looking to bring him in, it would to be only as a squad player to bring on for the latter stage of a game, to help control the flow of a game we were leading in, or to help unlock a packed defense if we needed a goal, as his technique and passing are still strong. I guess that if we are open to letting Rodrigo go, to Turkey or elsewhere, Mata could replace him as a non-Brit in the leadership group, and to be fair, he’d bring far more relevant experience to the party than Rodrigo. Dan James has previously spoken of Mata as one of his idols, and he’d be a great mentor for Aaronson, and possibly others.
Yes, he was on large wages previously, but he himself spoke in 2016 about how ‘ridiculous’ his and other footballer’s wages were in comparison to ‘normal’ life, so he may well be very happy to accept a significant pay cut - particularly if he’s looking to stay in the Prem. His other likely offers may well be back in Spain, or the MLS, and it’s unlikely wages on offer to him in either league would be at his previous level.
On balance, if he was signed merely as a squad member, to fulfill a role similar to that suggest above, and on sensible wages, I’d not be averse to such a move - with the proviso that all other squad requirements (CF, LB and GK) are also appropriately addressed.
13 Jul 2022 15:02:02
Now being reported by Times journo Martyn Ziegler that ‘Leeds sources are denying this Juan Mata free transfer link’.
13 Jul 2022 22:14:21
Great post Clue. Was about to say the exact same!
14 Jul 2022 11:33:40
Can’t be true, as the Daily ChocolateStarFish are repotting it!
I do think it would be a good move tho!