DELIGHTED TO BE BACK: Nemanja Matic is glad to be back at Chelsea [PA] In fact, he was so desperate for a second chance at Stamford Bridge he didn’t even ask how much he was going to earn. Midfield maestro Matic, 25, has slotted back into life in west London so quickly it is like he has been there all his life. Yet it was actually a career- shaping two-anda- half-year spell away from the Blues that transformed Matic into the imposing player he is today. Chelsea were happy to sacrifice him in 2011 as a makeweight in the £25m deal that saw David Luiz come the other way from Benfica. But, having been dumped, it didn’t put Matic off when Jose Mourinho came calling again in January – even if the move reduced his family to tears. Matic – speaking at the launch of the PUMA evoPOWER 1 boot – said: I had no doubts about coming back, I spoke with my agent one minute and that is it. I decided that it is good for me to come back. “To be honest, I didn’t know what my contract was going to be. I just said, ‘OK, I’ll go there and after we will see’. We made a deal and I am happy. “I want to improve, to play good football in a good league – money is not the most important thing. “The first time I was at Chelsea I was very young, and in my position there were some big players – Michael Ballack, Frank Lampard, Michael Essien in the best moment of his career – and I came here injured, I was out for four months so it was difficult for me.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 04:55:19 +0000