LONDON (AP) - Chelsea made up for Juan Mata’s departure by completing the signing of fellow midfielder Mohamed Salah, who joined the Blues from FC Basel on a 5 ½ year contract on Sunday.
Salah, who scored against Chelsea in two Champions League group matches this season, is Jose Mourinho’s third significant recruit in the January transfer window after Nemanja Matic and Bertrand Traore.
The 21-year-old Egypt winger arrives at Chelsea after the club sold Spain midfielder Mata to Manchester United for 37.1 million pounds ($61.2 million) on Saturday.
“We had to react to the Mata situation which was unexpected,” Mourinho said. “We tried to go for a young, left-footed, fast player who is fast in the space. He is the kind of player that looks for space and tries to get behind people. He is a good choice and a good option.’
Chelsea did not reveal the fee for Salah but British media reported it in the region of 11 million pounds ($18.1 million).
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