Mour surprises, more decisions for Jose at Chelsea

If you think the decision to sell Juan Mata was a big one, then get ready for more surprises in the summer.

Jose Mourinho is no doubt one of the most influential figures in football and you can attest to that by the way he craftily masterminded the exit of  Mata from Chelsea without a major furore.

The charismatic Portuguese even managed to execute and justify the ‘unthinkable’-selling the amiable Spaniard, the fans’ favourite, to their loathed rivals, Manchester United, less than two years after the Blues supporters mocked Arsenal for trading their best player, Robin van Persie to the same club.

Chelsea fans spat at PSG’s face last summer after attempting a £40m bid to take the unwanted Mata to France, claiming he was worth much more after emerging one of the club’s best, and one of the best players in the English top flight over the last two years. So to have sold the same player to United at a lower fee (£37.1m) was a hard pill to swallow for the Blues faithful. Yet the manager has handled it well.

Last summer, Mourinho admitted he reluctantly accepted the new direction in the playing philosophy that Chelsea wanted, not that he agreed with it. “We had one meeting, and in that meeting we had, not an agreement, but we were all convinced this was the way we want to do it. It’s not my way, a specific way, it’s a way of adapting to the quality of the players.”

He also painted a vague picture of concessions on the part of the board this time around towards arriving at the decision to sell former Valencia man.

“This situation was discussed by a group of persons ... that group of people had different philosophies but a common interest: what is best for Chelsea? Those from the economic department don’t have the same needs as me, a football man, but we decided that for all these reasons – and the human one, that Juan desired to go – we did well. The owner [Roman Abramovich] is the owner. He’s the boss. I belong to the board, but the board is the board. So I come after. I give opinions. I justify my opinions.”  (Independent)

So Mourinho is gradually shaping his own version of THAT attacking style with the aim of ‘building for the future’. He has sold Kevin De Bruyne and Mata for around £55million, two of the players who were expected to play a key role in the expansive style. He has brought in Nemanja Matic and Mohammed Salah for around £33m.

The Chelsea manager is believed to be courting a new centre back with St. Etienne star  Kurt Zouma, 19, thought to have reached a verbal agreement with the Blues. That would reignite the uncertainty surrounding the future of David Luiz while the club’s goalie Thibaut Courtois is keen to resolve his future after three seasons on loan at Atletico Madrid.

With Fernando Torres seemingly unmovable because of huge wage bills and unconvincing performances since swapping joining the club from Liverpool, the Blues boss will also have a bid decision to make on the future of Romelu Lukaku after indicating a striker could arrive in the summer.

Uncertainty

John Terry is yearning for a contract extension of more than a year that Chelsea are prepared to offer, while the duo of Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole-both of whom have been less influential in the Chelsea side this season-are hoping to extend their stay too. Terry has proven he deserved an extension but Mourinho will have a lot to say to convince the board on the Lampard and Cole.

With the London club already considering the UEFA Financial Fair Play situation regarding their spending, Mourinho is bracing for a summer of huge decisions which could have a big effect on his ‘evolution’ project, especially with over 20 players on loan.

He can't afford to rely on Roman Abramovich to keep shelling out the funds to buy young players as his approach building for the future, as the club are desperate to produce players from the academy which has cost well over £60million. Disagreement over further signings were partly responsible for their previous break-up, while Michael Emenalo, the club's technical director, will also be keen to see how the manager consolidate on his work in talents management.

Mourinho hasn't shown he is ready to give the youngsters opportunities since returning to meet a much healthier youth set up than he left in 2007, the club’s authorities would be eager to see how the Portuguese fare in that area after this summer.

Both the Chelsea board and Mourinho are still sizing themselves up, but this summer’s big decisions will be crucial in testing the seeming serenity at Stamford Bridge.

 Chelsea fans won't mind enjoying the ride  with Mourinho as long as their team win, but he knows his employers are expecting more than the results.