MX23RW : Thursday, November 14 08:17:40| >> :120:30295:30295:

Arsene Wenger 'surprised' by Chelsea's decision to sell Juan Mata to Man United

Arsene Wenger says that he is 'surprised' by Chelsea's decision to sell Juan Mata to rivals Manchester United.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has expressed his shock at Chelsea's decision to allow midfielder Juan Mata to leave the club for Manchester United.

The Spaniard is yet to finalise the move, but widespread reports have claimed that the 25-year-old will seal a £37m switch at some point today.

According to The Express, Wenger said: "Yes I am [surprised] because Juan Mata is a great player, and they are selling a great player to a direct opponent."

The Frenchman also believes that it is unfair for clubs to be allowed to sell players in January once they have already played one another twice in the league, which could be seen as a tactical move.

Wenger added: "Some teams have already played twice against one opponent and some others not and I think if you want to respect the fairness for everybody, that should not happen."

When asked if he thought that Chelsea's decision to sell Mata was tactical, Wenger said: "I wouldn't go as far as that, I just think you would want that everybody is at the same level. I can understand completely what Chelsea are doing, it's within the rules but maybe the rules should be adapted for fairness."

Mata, who was named Chelsea's player of the year last season, has struggled for first-team action under manager Jose Mourinho, who said only last week that he did not want to sell the midfielder.

ID:132221: cacheID:132221:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2518:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Everton's Ross Barkley celebrates after scoring the opening goal against QPR during their FA Cup third round match on January 4, 2013
Read Next:
Chelsea eye Barkley swoop?
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City117222213923
3Chelsea115422113819
4Arsenal115421812619
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest115421510519
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton115421915419
7Fulham115331613318
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
9Aston Villa115331717018
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1151523131016
11Brentford115152222016
12Bournemouth114341515015
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Leicester CityLeicester112451421-710
16Everton112451017-710
17Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
18Crystal Palace11146815-77
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves111371627-116
20Southampton11119721-144


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!