Chapter 196: Guardiola vs. Mourinho Returns to the Premier League! Matić Closes the Summer Transfer Window
Scoring a hat-trick against AC Milan in a preseason friendly was a pretty spectacular Chelsea debut for Zlatan Ibrahimović.
Chelsea fans were thrilled, and even AC Milan supporters were in good spirits.
Seeing Leon and Zlatan on the same team? That alone was worth the price of admission.
As for American media headlines suggesting that this match had significantly improved Ibrahimović's chemistry with his new teammates—
Leon couldn't help but chuckle. Nonsense.
He'd been training with Chelsea for two weeks already and had only just started developing an understanding with the squad.
Zlatan, on the other hand, had only had one training session and one game.
The team still needed time.
Training remained essential.
Privately, with Leon's introductions and Zlatan's willingness to integrate, relationships between the players were progressing quickly.
Mourinho was pleased.
And with Juan Mata's transfer finally making headway, Mourinho's mood was even better.
Compared to Demba Ba, who had already returned to Newcastle, Mata—thanks to his breakout season—still carried considerable market value.
Only a handful of Premier League clubs could afford him.
Arsenal, Manchester City, and Manchester United were among the few with both the funds and the right tactical systems for him.
Initially, Mourinho planned to offer Mata to Arsène Wenger.
For once, the Professor had money to spend.
With Walcott injured and Rosický aging, Mourinho saw a window.
Wenger, of course, was interested. Mata had proven himself in England.
A player who could produce 20+ goals and 20+ assists in one season was rare.
Mata was also happy to stay in London.
With Wenger's invitation, a move to Arsenal seemed almost natural.
Chelsea set the price: €40 million flat.
Honestly? Not a bad deal.
But then came the unexpected twist—
"Moyes the Legend" came charging in with a big bag of cash.
And funny enough, this had everything to do with Chelsea.
Manchester United had originally focused their transfer strategy on trying to poach Leon from Real Madrid.
Moyes wanted Kroos and Fellaini, too—but United's board dragged their feet, buying no one.
By the time Leon made his shock move to Chelsea, Kroos had gotten tired of waiting and stayed at Bayern.
Everton's sky-high asking price made the United board balk at bringing in Fellaini.
Moyes got none of the players he wanted.
Even Sir Alex Ferguson, the man who had talked Moyes into the job, felt guilty.
He urged the United board to support Moyes—at least financially.
So the board coughed up an initial £50 million.
Just in time.
Chelsea were already finalizing a deal with Arsenal for Mata.
But then United came in with a £38 million bid, roughly €45 million—and it blew Arsenal out of the water.
Chelsea paused the Arsenal deal immediately.
Moyes, reportedly, had given Mata a direct guarantee—higher wages and a central midfield role in England's biggest club.
Tempted by both the pay and the prestige, Mata began to reconsider.
Now Mourinho was just waiting.
If Arsenal matched United's bid, he'd prefer to sell to Wenger out of courtesy.
If not? Fine. United could have him—and Chelsea would get more funds for reinforcements.
Win-win.
It was no wonder Mourinho had been smiling all week.
Even with the International Champions Cup final against Real Madrid looming, both he and Leon were calm.
Nothing like the media's portrayal of "grudge match anxiety."
Yes, they had left Madrid.
But there had been no public fallout.
They left as champions and legends.
No personal grudges with the club, no issues with former teammates.
Sure, Mourinho's anger stemmed from locker room leaks.
Casillas got caught in the crossfire thanks to his loose-lipped girlfriend.
Ramos backed his captain and got dragged in.
If Mourinho had stayed, the tension with those two would've reached a breaking point.
But now, with time to reflect, both Casillas and Ramos had personally called Mourinho to apologize.
So when the three met before the ICC final, their warm embrace shattered every media conspiracy theory.
Same with Leon.
Had he stayed at Madrid, his power struggle with Cristiano would have eventually erupted.
Now? With distance, there was only friendship.
He stayed in touch with old teammates, Cristiano included.
When they reunited before the match, Leon laughed and embraced every single one—just like old times.
So if the last match had been a nostalgia trip for Milan fans…
Today, it was Madridistas who got emotional.
This wasn't just a final. It was a reunion of Mourinho's Madrid.
The man who once patrolled the sidelines with fire.
The midfielder who once ran himself into the ground for glory.
Now they stood on the other side.
The match intensity ramped up as expected.
It was still a final, after all.
Tackles were sharp, battles fierce—but there was no bitterness.
Madrid, still in peak form, were clearly the more cohesive unit.
Compared to Chelsea's rebuilding squad, Madrid's chemistry was leagues ahead.
And once again, the brightest star on the field was Cristiano Ronaldo.
A hat-trick against AC Milan in a friendly wasn't a bad debut at all for Zlatan Ibrahimović in a Chelsea shirt.
Chelsea fans were delighted. Even Milan fans enjoyed it—after all, seeing Leon and Zlatan play together was reason enough to celebrate.
As for American sports media claims that Zlatan had already built strong chemistry with his new teammates during this match?
Complete nonsense.
Leon had already trained with Chelsea for two weeks and could barely call what they had "chemistry."
Zlatan, with only a few sessions and a single game under his belt? They had a long way to go.
But with Leon facilitating introductions and Zlatan making an effort to integrate, things were progressing well off the pitch.
Mourinho could relax a bit.
And with Juan Mata's transfer finally nearing completion, he was in a great mood.
Unlike Demba Ba, who quickly returned to Newcastle, Mata's value had skyrocketed after his breakout season.
Only Premier League giants like Arsenal, Manchester United, and Manchester City could realistically afford him.
Initially, Mourinho had wanted to send Mata to Arsène Wenger.
The Professor finally had funds to spend, and with Walcott injured and Rosický fading, Mourinho saw a perfect chance to push the deal.
Wenger was tempted. Mata had proven himself—he was a rare player capable of producing 20+ goals and 20+ assists in a single season.
Mata himself was fine with the idea of staying in London and joining Arsenal.
Chelsea quoted €40 million flat.
Honestly? A bargain.
Wenger agreed—almost. He just wanted to pay in installments over three years.
Chelsea were ready to accept.
But then came the swerve:
"Moyes the Legend" — with a pile of emergency cash.
And in a twist of fate, this too was Chelsea's doing.
United had originally pinned their transfer hopes on signing Leon from Real Madrid.
Moyes also liked Kroos and Fellaini, but the club kept hesitating.
After Leon joined Chelsea, Kroos grew impatient and stayed at Bayern.
Fellaini remained stuck at Everton due to a high price tag, and United's CEO, Ed Woodward, didn't want to spend.
Moyes ended up with none of his targets.
Ferguson, perhaps feeling a bit responsible, stepped in to urge the board to support the manager.
Eventually, Moyes scraped together £50 million.
Perfect timing.
Chelsea were moments away from finalizing Mata's move to Arsenal when United came in with a £38 million bid (around €45 million).
Chelsea immediately paused talks with Arsenal.
Mata, tempted by the higher salary and the promise of being United's midfield centerpiece, began to reconsider.
Now Mourinho was simply waiting on Wenger.
If Arsenal matched the offer, he'd send Mata to Wenger.
If not? Fine. Let United take him at a higher price.
More money meant more room for reinforcements.
Which is why Mourinho had been grinning non-stop all week.
Even with the International Champions Cup final against Real Madrid looming, neither he nor Leon felt pressure.
The media made it sound like a grudge match, but that wasn't the reality.
Yes, they'd left Madrid—but it wasn't a messy divorce.
They left as champions, as legends.
There were no grudges with the club, and certainly no tension with former teammates.
Sure, Mourinho had been furious about locker room leaks.
Casillas paid the price for his loose-lipped girlfriend.
Ramos got dragged in because of loyalty.
If Mourinho had stayed, the rift would've deepened.
But time had passed. Emotions had cooled.
Casillas and Ramos had both personally called Mourinho to apologize.
So when the trio embraced before the ICC final, all media speculation went up in smoke.
Leon, too, had no unresolved tension.
Had he stayed, his growing ambition might've clashed with Ronaldo.
But he had moved on.
And now? He still joked with old teammates, Cristiano included.
When he reconnected with them, it was all smiles and hugs—just like the old days.
So if Milan fans cried during Leon and Zlatan's reunion, today's tears belonged to Madridistas.
This wasn't just a final—it was a reunion of Mourinho's Madrid.
The fiery coach once barking on the sideline.
The tireless midfielder who never stopped running.
Now wearing blue.
The match was intense—befitting a final—but friendly in spirit.
Madrid, with its peak-form squad, clearly had better chemistry.
Chelsea was still a team under construction.
And once again, Cristiano Ronaldo shone brightest.
He scored twice and assisted once, leading Madrid to a 4–2 win.
He was named Man of the Match.
And Chelsea fans?
They didn't mind the loss at all.
They were thrilled.
Because one thing was clear:
Leon was the real deal.
Hazard showed signs of maturity.
The young guns played well.
And Zlatan?
Way better than expected.
Fans had worried—was a 32-year-old Zlatan just a stopgap?
But two friendlies later, they had their answer:
He was still elite.
Static duels, sharp instincts, pure striker's instinct inside the box—
Zlatan was lightyears ahead of Lukaku.
If this were prime Zlatan, fans might not be as shocked.
But to see this level in 2013, post-prime?
Chelsea fans felt like they'd struck gold.
€18 million for Zlatan?
A monster who knew how to dominate the box with pure power?
Steal of the century.
Last season, with Torres and Demba Ba rotating, Chelsea finished third in the Premier League and runners-up in the Europa League.
Had they not run into a red-hot Atlético in the final, they might've taken home the trophy.
This season, they were rebuilding.
And on paper?
Stronger than ever.
With proper chemistry, there was no reason not to dream of a title.
Chelsea veterans looked toward Manchester United again.
United weren't the meme team they'd become in future years.
They were still champions of England, still a Champions League quarterfinalist.
Despite Ferguson's retirement, they remained the odds-on title favorite.
Chelsea was second—until August 10, when Manchester City dropped their bombshell.
Pep Guardiola had joined the Premier League.
Fans everywhere were stunned.
He'd been linked with Bayern and Juventus for months.
Suddenly?
He was at Manchester City.
No one saw it coming.
Guardiola chose City because of control and personnel.
Agüero, Silva, Nasri, Fernandinho, Barry, Kompany… and Yaya Touré.
What a squad.
Leon, reading the news, even joked to himself:
"Did Pep come here just to coach Agüero after failing to sign him for Barça?"
A funny thought.
But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense.
With Pep and Mourinho back in the same league…
Could we see El Clásico reborn in the Premier League?
Even Leon was excited.
British media went crazy.
Discussions on Chelsea vs. City had already begun, even with a week to go before kickoff.
On August 11 and 12, both clubs played friendlies.
Both lost.
Identical fashion: lead in the first half, collapse in the second.
Fans immediately joked:
"Did Pep and Mou call each other before the games to script the losses?"
The memes flew.
But inside both camps, players buckled down.
Training intensified.
And finally, on August 14, Mata's transfer saga ended.
Wenger withdrew.
United raised their bid to €47 million.
Mata chose Old Trafford.
Mourinho had his cash.
Time to spend.
Remember the €500,000 gap with Benfica over Matić?
Gone.
Chelsea shelled out €23 million to bring back the Serbian bulldozer they'd once let go.
With a rock-solid double pivot now secured, Mourinho declared Chelsea's summer business done.
Yes, De Bruyne was still raw on the right.
But with Leon guiding him, Mourinho saw tremendous potential.
The wings were balanced.
The midfield was deep.
The squad was ready.
August 18: Premier League opener vs. Hull City.
Mourinho vowed:
The new season starts with a win.
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