Chelsea have formally completed the signing of Juan Mata from Spanish club Valencia.
The midfielder, 23, has signed a five-year contract at Stamford Bridge and is believed to have cost Chelsea around £24m.
Mata, who will be available to make his debut against Norwich on Saturday, scored eight goals for Valencia last season and was captain of the Spain side that won this year’s Under-21 European Championship.
He also has 11 full international caps – and four goals – to his name, and was a member of the Spanish squad that were crowned World Cup winners in South Africa in 2010.
His arrival is a huge boost for Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas, who was particularly keen to sign another midfielder because Michael Essien will miss much of the season with a knee injury.
Mata, who was on Real Madrid’s books as a teenager, has scored an impressive 46 goals in 174 appearances for Valencia since joining them in 2007.
He can play wide as well as through the middle, making him a potential asset for Chelsea given their 4-3-3 formation.
His signing appears to signal the end of Chelsea’s pursuit of Luka Modric after a number of failed attempts to capture the Croatian playmaker from rivals Tottenham.
This post was last modified on 24/08/2011
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Great signing, but can't help thinking that Essien is going to be the biggest blow for us this season. Luka would help unlock Nando, but we're missing someone of essiens class.