Welcome, Juan Mata!

I was gonna post this as a tiny part of this one long blog post I'm writing, but I'm too excited to wait any longer.

After the heartbreak of summer's transfer window, I was apprehensive of all transfer rumors this time around. Especially when it's a name as big as Juan Mata. But then the rumors started to sound more believable and I just couldn't help myself but to hope. And, during a press conference, Mourinho came out and said that he had let Mata to take his medical with United. By last Thursday, reports seemed to indicate that Mata would be at Carrington on Friday for his medical, and to be revealed by Moyes on Monday's press conference.

Friday came and I kept refreshing my Twitter feed. Unfortunately, the news that I found was discouraging; the medical was delayed. I didn't find any reasons why it was delayed, so it did worry be a bit. But, I woke up Saturday morning to find pictures of him arriving at Carrington, looking dapper as hell. A part of me couldn't believe it. Chelsea's best player for the past 2 years is a Manchester United player!

A video of his arrival was posted on United's website; I love that fellow countryman David De Gea greeted Mata. Mata has revealed that De Gea's presence did help him make his decision to come to United. During his first interview as a United player, with MUTV, Mata said that he had been texting with De Gea, who was asking him, "When are you coming? When are you landing? Are you coming by helicopter or by bicycle?" Yes, I'm waiting for the bromance to bloom.

Welcome to my brother @juanmata10 just one thing....Not the best clothes!!😜😜🙈🙈 pic.twitter.com/Hn85wd9Nsv
— David De Gea (@D_DeGea) January 25, 2014

I still can't wrap my mind around how big this transfer is. It was so unexpected that I wasn't ready to deal with the news. Not only did we get an amazing player, he's conducted himself brilliantly this past week. Mata really does seem like one of the good guys in football. He seems quite intelligent and well spoken from his interview and press conference. He's been saying all the right things, and seeing his official Twitter account, Facebook page, and website, makes me believe that it's really who he is. His heartfelt letter to Chelsea was wonderful; and his first blog post as a United player was quite delightful. I like this part:

As you can imagine I haven’t had time to spare. After flying from London by helicopter and having a fantastic reception I spent the day completing my medical and, later, I signed the contract. On Sunday I met my new team mates and I had my first training session with them. By the way, the facilities at the Carrington training ground are top level. Spectacular!

He just seems like a pleasant man, and the fact that he's quite handsome doesn't hurt. I'm actually finding it difficult to not fall in love with this guy. Like a couple summers ago, I say that I wouldn't impulse buy a new player's jersey, but I did end up with an RVP jersey. We'll see how long I can stop myself from buying Mata's red #8.

I'm now very excited for tonight's game against Cardiff; not only is it Ole's return to Old Trafford, we might get to see our new man in United's jersey for the first time. Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney have also trained so they might be back in the team.

Welcome, Juan Mata! Hopefully your arrival sparks United's creativity a bit and help us have a better second half of the season.