Jose Mourinho isn’t one to mince his words. If the Portuguese coach tells you that you’re not playing, he usually has a good reason for doing so, and if he tells you that he wants rid of you in the next transfer window then, well, you probably don’t have too long left. And that is what the London Evening Standard is suggesting will happen to David Luiz, Juan Mata and former Newcastle striker Demba Ba.
But should they stay or should they go? Here’s my take on the situation.
I’ll start with Juan Mata, who for me is one of the top talents in the entire Premier League.
The Spaniard has won back-to-back Chelsea Player of the Year awards and bagged himself 20 goals last term, but this time round has missed a lot of game time. He has, however, still managed to make 15 key passes in his seven Premier League game and scored in the League Cup.
There is no doubt in my mind that the Blues should be building their attack around Mata and Eden Hazard, so I think he should stay.
Luiz, however, is a different story. However funny he is and however popular he is with his team-mates, he is not doing the business on the pitch right now. The Brazilian takes a slack outlook on the game and he has made numerous mistakes already this season, and as a result fallen right down the pecking order.
For me Luiz is a midfielder, but considering Mourinho currently has John Obi Mikel, Michael Essien, Ramires and Frank Lampard to play in the central zones, his future looks unclear.
Ba, for me, has to go. He has offered next to nothing again this season and is only taking up space where another, stronger forward could be operating.
Mata to stay, Ba to go, and Mourinho to decide on the latter, by my reckoning.