Chelsea midfielder Mario Pasalic has today completed his season long loan deal to Spanish side Elche. The 19 year old Croatian joined the Blues from Hajduk Split earlier this summer and will now spend the entire season in the Spanish top flight football league.
A creative midfielder more than capable of scoring goals hit the back of the net 11 times in 36 appearances for his club side last season earning a place in Niko Kovac’s 30 man provisional squad for the World Cup in Brazil.
Manager Jose Mourinho believes that a loan deal will help the youngster gain some valuable match practice rather than warming the sidelines throughout the season. Last season Marko Marin helped Sevilla win the Europa League while Oriol Romeu featured at Valencia before injuries took their toll. Lucas Piazon also spent time at Malaga last season.
Elche managed to stave off relegation last season finishing 16th in La Liga standings and it is expected that Pasalic will easily break into the starting eleven, the player who is likened to be the next Frank Lampard at Chelsea.
The player on completion of his move said, “I’m happy to be here, I always wanted to play in La Liga. Mourinho told me that the best thing for me was play in Spain and have a chance to confront the big teams like Real Madrid, Atletico and Barcelona, to grow and improve. I’m very happy to be here, in a team that has 25 thousand fans.”
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
