Benfica’s defensive midfielder Nemanja Matic has re-signed for Premier League title hopefuls Chelsea. The Club’s official website reports that Matic has signed a five-and-a-half-year contract. Here are three reasons why Matic is a good signing for Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea.
1. World class defensive midfielder
The 25-year-old Serbian is a defensive midfielder who thrives on disrupting the opposition buildup thanks to his excellent positional sense. His tackling is also outstanding and he is not afraid to get stuck into players if need be – he has made 16 tackles and 10 interceptions in 6 Champions League appearances this season (as per squawka). At 6’ 4” tall, he has the sort of physical presence in midfield that Jose Mourinho would like against physical oppositions like Stoke.
Matic would be an ideal partner for either Frank Lampard or Ramires in the centre of the park, and is an obvious upgrade on Chelsea’s only outright defensive midfielder John Obi Mikel. The Portuguese tactician’s fondness for playing an outright holding player will mean that Matic slots straight into the starting eleven.