After days of speculation, Chelsea confirmed the signing of Fiorentina winger Juan Cuadrado on a four-and-a-half-year contract on Monday evening. Speaking to the club’s official website, the Colombian midfielder – who arrives for a reported fee of £27 million – admitted that he can’t wait to work under the guidance of Jose Mourinho:
“It is really going to be brilliant to work with one of the best coaches anywhere in the world. I’m very proud to be playing for him and I think he is going to help me grow into a better player…I’m a quick and positive player and I hope to show that on the field of play and help all of my teammates. The best part about this dream is that I’m going to be part of such a big club. For me that is a huge motivation to perform well.”
The History
Cuadrado began his footballing education at Atletico Uraba in his native Colombia, at which point he operated primarily as a forward. His searing pace and ability to outfox defenders prompted a change of position onto the right wing, which ultimately resulted in a move to Colombian first division side Independiente Medellin.
In 2009, Cuadrado made the step up to the European leagues, securing a five-year deal with Italian top-flight side Udinese. After only managing 20 league appearances over the course of the 2009-10 and 2010-11 campaigns, the sprightly winger joined struggling Serie A outfit Lecce in August 2011 in an attempt to salvage his floundering career. Although Lecce eventually succumbed to relegation that season, Cuadrado impressed sufficiently to earn a move to Fiorentina the following summer.
Since his move to Viola, the 26-year-old has been a mainstay in manager Vincenzo Montella’s first XI, earning 68 league outings in the previous two seasons. His 15-goal haul in all competitions last term alerted a bevy of clubs throughout Europe, including La Liga giants Barcelona, who held talks with Cuadrado during the summer transfer window.
Cuadrado also caught the eye with his performances for Colombia at the World Cup in Brazil. The 26-year-old recorded one goal and four assists for Los Cafeteros, tying with Germany’s Toni Kroos as the tournament’s leading assist provider. So far, he’s played for his country on 37 occasions and found the net five times.
The Prospects
With Andre Schurrle packed off to Wolfsburg and Mo Salah heading to Fiorentina on loan, Mourinho is clearly keen to freshen up his options on the right flank. Undoubtedly, Cuadrado’s arrival at Stamford Bridge casts doubt over Willian’s status as one of the regualars in Chelsea’s starting line-up. Although the Brazilian conforms perfectly to the Special One’s desire for industrious two-way wingers that embrace defensive duties, Willian has managed just one goal and two assists over 22 league appearances thus far. Cuadrado’s inclusion could transform the south London outfit into an even more terrifying prospect on the counter-attack.
Cuadrado boasts the ability to initiate powerful, sinuous runs that put opposition defenders on the back foot. Compared with Willian, the attacking stats are stacked firmly in his favour: so far this season, Cuadrado has bettered the Brazilian for minutes per shot (27.3 to 39.8) and key passes (40.2 to 67). Furthermore, his work ethic is also superior – he’s ahead of Willian for tackles (1.2 to 1.1) and interceptions (0.9 to 0.4) per appearance over 2014/15, highlighting just why Mourinho has brought him on board.
The South American possesses the versatility to play in any of the front three positions in Chelsea’s typical 4-2-3-1 formation, as evidenced by Cuadrado’s recent minutes in the second striker role for Fiorentina. Certainly, this affords Mourinho the opportunity to rotate the likes of Eden Hazard and Oscar should he wish to do so, though whilst the latter has been victim to his manager’s tinkering on occasion this term, the Belgian looks immune to Jose’s rotational whims.
Setting you back 8.5 in Fantasy Premier League, the new boy has been placed in the same price bracket as the likes of Oscar, Christian Eriksen, Santi Cazorla and Raheem Sterling. Given that Oscar, Hazard and Cesc Fabregas sit amongst the top five regular midfielders in terms of points per appearance this season, Cuadrado faces a tough task to battle past that trio as our preferred route into Mourinho’s flourishing midfield. On the other hand, Willian’ paltry 2.8 points per appearance suggests the Colombian could be the answer if Mourinho is looking for more output from the right flank.
The inclusion of another potent goal threat in Chelsea’s side might also impact Fabregas’ already astonishing assist output. With the Spaniard (37.4%) just edging out Eden Hazard (36.2%) in terms of ownership, we’ll be keeping a close eye on how Cuadrado’s presence on the pitch influences this internal contest. Having weathered the storm from their title rivals Manchester City, Chelsea now face a favourable run of fixtures up until their blank Gameweek 27, consisting of a visit to Aston Villa and home ties against Everton and Burnley.
These matches could serve as a perfect introduction to the unique rigours of the Premier League for Cuadrado and potentially allow Mourinho to rest some key players before the Capital One Cup Final on March 1, as the Blues look to avenge their New Year’s Day mauling at the Lane and pick up the first silverware of the season.
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