EPL: Happy Mata pledges future to Chelsea

LONDON - Although crowd favorite Juan Mata has featured in only one of Chelsea's four games this season, the Spain midfielder said on Thursday (Friday, PHL time) he was happy at the London club and his future was at Stamford Bridge.

Mata was voted Chelsea's player of the year for the last two seasons but his omission from the team against Manchester United and Hull City in the Premier League and for last week's Super Cup defeat by Bayern Munich prompted claims he was out of favor with coach Jose Mourinho.

"I think it's normal in every transfer window that there are lots of rumors but I'm happy here," the former Valencia playmaker told Chelsea TV on Thursday (Friday, PHL time).

"It's been a very, very good two seasons for me here, maybe the best of my career, and what I want this season is the same.

"I'm looking forward to achieving as many trophies as we did the last two seasons and hopefully this is going to be a good season for us again," said Mata, referring to the 2012 Champions League and FA Cup triumphs and last season's Europa League win.

Mourinho has said repeatedly that Chelsea's number 10 is not for sale and now the Spaniard is over the thigh strain that troubled him in preseason, Mata is raring to go.

"My only aim is to play here, grow as a player and do as good a season as the last two which were amazing for me," said the 25-year-old who was left out of the Spain squad for the World Cup qualifier against Finland on Friday and next Wednesday's friendly versus Chile (Saturday and Thursday, PHL time).

"These two seasons have flown by... but to me this is good because when you are enjoying things and you are happy, time goes quicker.

"I had four weeks off [ahead of preseason training] and to be honest that's too much time for me because in the last five or six years I didn't have this sort of rest," he said, referring to his international commitments.

"But I've had plenty of rest and now I'm feeling really good. The best thing for me is to play because I love to play."

Chelsea, who are second in the Premier League table with seven points from three matches, play their next fixture at Everton on September 14.  - Reuters