Chelsea officially announced the signing of Nemanja Matic from Benfica today, for a sum of £21million. Matic, an attacking midfielder, was previously on the books of Chelsea from 2009 to 2011 but only made two league appearances for the Blues.
In January, 2011, Matic was used as a makeweight to help Chelsea sign David Luiz on transfer deadline day from Benfica. For Benfica’s trouble, Chelsea paid €25,000,000 for David Luiz and threw in Matic as a sweetener to close the deal.
Fast forward three years later to today and Chelsea have now paid another €25,000,000, this time to sign Matic back from Benfica to the Blues. In total, you could argue that Chelsea essentially paid €50,000,000 to sign David Luiz. That’s a whopping £41,500,000 for a gifted Brazilian footballer.
While there’s no argument that Chelsea have cash to splash on signing talented footballers, the club’s lack of foresight in letting Matic go has damaged their bottom line.
By adding Matic to Chelsea’s overcrowded midfield, it’s likely that Juan Mata will leave the Stamford Bridge club if a significant offer comes in for Chelsea’s player of the year for the past two seasons. It’s unlikely that Chelsea will let Mata join a Premier League club, so the most likely destination is either Italy or France.
Editor’s note: For more Chelsea news, analysis and opinion, read the Chelsea team page.
