7 top players discarded by Chelsea under Roman Abramovich

#5 Juan Mata

Juan Mata was surprisingly discarded in 2014

Spanish midfield maestro Juan Mata joined Chelsea in 2011 for a fee of £23.5 million from Valencia. In the two-and-a-half years, he was at Stamford Bridge, Mata showed the world what he was capable of.

In that period, he won the UEFA Champions League, the Europa League and the FA Cup. Mata was named Chelsea’s Player of the Year for two consecutive seasons as he made the number 10 position his own. He scored 18 Premier League goals in his stint for the Blues.

However, he was deemed surplus to requirements by Jose Mourinho and was sold off to Premier League rivals Manchester United for a fee of £37 million – a move sanctioned by Abramovich. Mata being a fan favorite, his departure did not do any good for the Russian’s reputation in England.