MANCHESTER, England -- Manchester United smashed the clubs transfer record to sign Juan Mata from Chelsea for 37.1 million pounds ($61.2 million) on Saturday, giving the beleaguered English Premier League champions a major lift. The Spain midfielder was deemed surplus to requirements at Chelsea after losing his place in the team since Jose Mourinhos return as manager last summer. The move, which is the most high-profile yet in Europes January transfer window, will guarantee Mata is back playing regular football ahead of the World Cup in Brazil. It is also a statement of intent from United amid a tough period for new manager David Moyes, whose team is seventh in the Premier League and struggling to qualify for the lucrative Champions League. "United is the perfect place for me and I am excited at the chance I have to be part of the next phase in the clubs history," said the 25-year-old Mata, who was flown to Manchester by helicopter on Saturday so he could undergo his medical examination and agree on personal terms. "Chelsea is a top club and I have many friends there but you cannot turn down the chance to join Manchester United." Mata was Chelseas player of the year for the last two seasons but has spent most of the 2013-14 campaign on the substitutes bench, with Mourinho deciding to make Brazil international Oscar his No. 1 playmaker. Mourinho granted Matas request to leave Stamford Bridge in light of Uniteds interest and having already found a virtual replacement in Egypt winger Mohamed Salah, who is close to joining from Swiss team Basel. "I and everyone at Chelsea have massive respect for Juan and his big talent, and when he told us of his wish to move on because he wanted to play more, we did not want to deny him this opportunity," Mourinho said. "We want him to be successful in his career and as well as that, this transfer makes huge financial sense to us at Chelsea." Moyes has made a decisive move in the transfer market after being criticized for his sluggish dealings in the off-season, when United missed out on the clubs primary targets and brought in only one player -- Marouane Fellaini -- in the final minutes of deadline day. Fellaini has so far been a major disappointment and is out injured. Matas arrival will create a buzz around Old Trafford and excite fans who have seen United slip 14 points behind leader Arsenal in the Premier League, be eliminated from the FA Cup at the first hurdle and, most recently, lose to Sunderland in the League Cup semifinals. Last season, United romped to the league title by 11 points under Alex Ferguson. Once Moyes gets strikers Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney back fit, their combination with Mata and talented young winger Adnan Januzaj should ensure they seriously challenge Liverpool, Tottenham and Everton for the fourth and final Champions League spot. United is six points behind fourth-place Liverpool. "Juan is one of the finest playmakers in the game today and its a real pleasure to have secured his signature," Moyes said. Moyes confirmed Mata will make his debut in the league game against Cardiff at Old Trafford on Tuesday, although he may take time to return to top form after being underused at Chelsea in recent months. Mata played 135 times for Chelsea following his move from Spanish team Valencia in 2011. "I have enjoyed some very happy years at Chelsea," Mata said, "but the time has come for a new challenge." Matas transfer fee eclipses the figure United spent on Dimitar Berbatov, who joined for 30.7 million pounds from Tottenham in 2008. Cheap Chicago White Sox Jerseys . Patrice Bergeron and Daniel Paille scored 20 seconds apart a few minutes after Stamkos was taken off the ice on a stretcher with a broken right leg, and the Bruins beat the Lightning 3-0 on Monday afternoon. Cheap White Sox Jerseys Authentic . Francis told several hundred members of the European Olympic Committees that when sport "is considered only in economic terms and consequently for victory at every cost . http://www.cheapwhitesoxjerseys.com/. Cain departed in the fourth inning of a 10-5 loss to the Pirates on Thursday. X-rays on Cains bruised forearm were negative. He was hit when Sanchez led off the fourth with a groundout. Cheap MLB Jerseys . 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Darren Dreger: Thats certainly the hope of the Boston Bruins and of Jarome Iginla as well. I know Peter Chiarelli, the Bruins general manager, reached out to Don Meehan from Newport Sports last week. Theres been no official back-and-forth in terms of dialogue or a negotiation and the reality is that the Bruins dont have the tag room or the cap space to close this deal in-season. But, most definitely, Chiarelli and the Bruins want to extend Iginlas stay. He loves Boston. They love him in Boston. I think a deal gets done. Pierre LeBrun: Another top-line right-winger whos slated to be a UFA come July 1 is Ales Hemsky, who came over at the trade deadline to help the Ottawa Senators. Now, he has helped them, even though the Senators have struggled. Ottawa has seen enough of Hemsky that in the very near future they are interested in reaching out to his representatives to see if hes interested in staying on and to talk about an extension. Obviously, the money has to be right for the budget-conscious Senators, but right now Bryan Murray would like to bring Hemsky back for next season. Does Ryan Miller stay in St. Louis? LeBrun: That is what Doug Armstrong and the St. Louis Blues would love to do. Theyve already reached out to Mike Liut, the agent for Ryan Miller, and told Miller: ‘Once this season is over, we want to bring you back. They are being aggressive in their overtures and telling this player that they do not want him to go to the July 1 market. They believe he is a long-term fit for their team which will contend for a number of years. Bob McKenzie: The conventional wisdom among the hockey community is that one of the reasons Miller wants to wait until free agency on July 1 is to see if theres any interest from the Anaheim Ducks. There was all sorts of speculation that the Ducks tried to make a trade with the Buffalo Sabres earlier this season for Miller, but that it fell through and they werent able to do it.dddddddddddd. Millers wife is an actress. She does all sorts of work in Hollywood and the possibility of being on a California team might be something that is really good for Ryan Miller. So, well wait and see where that goes. Its college free agent signing season. The most sought-after right now is Christian Folin, a 63”, 210-pound defenceman from Sweden who plays for the River Hawks and UMass. Who are the front-runners to get him? McKenzie: The Philadelphia Flyers, the Minnesota Wild, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Edmonton Oilers are amongst the teams believed to have the best chance to try to get Christian Folin out of UMass Lowell. Now, I should point something out. Firstly, theyre playing in the NCAA tournament Friday night against Minnesota State. If they lose, hes got a decision to make. He has not yet fully committed to making the decision that hes coming out of college. The likelihood is that he is, but he hasnt made that decision just yet. Lots of teams are getting the sense now that theyre out of it and that those teams I just mentioned are the front-runners. The NHL is apparently seeking officials... Dreger: Theyre calling it the NHL Exposure Combine and the belief is that theyre hoping to bring in upwards of 60 high-level prospects. Theyre going to collect these, literally, from around the world, but yes, they will send invites to certain universities and NCAA colleges for those graduating hockey players who perhaps want to pursue a career as an NHL on-ice official. Theyll hold the combine in August in Buffalo. There will be considerable physical testing but its all part of trying to expand the search and every other year, theyll do an amateur version. McKenzie: I smell a reality show coming: “So You Wanna Be a Ref?” Pierre LeBrun has a quick one-timer for us on Thomas Vanek. LeBrun: Vanek is obviously loving his time in Montreal so far but I spoke with his agent Steve Bartlett earlier on Tuesday who said the plan has not deviated. They told the Sabres last summer that theyre going to July 1. They told the Islanders after he got traded that its going to July 1 and that remains the plan right now. Lets see if a little playoff magic might change his mind. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '