Five things you didn’t know about new Chelsea signing Cuadrado
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How long will it be until Chelsea fans are singing, “there’s only Juan Cuadrado”? Based on the content in the rest of this article, we don’t think it will be long at all.
The Blues’ new recruit finally completed his much-anticipated move to west London on transfer deadline day and, in case you didn’t know who he was, we have compiled a series of interesting facts, stats and videos, which should whet fans appetites of what they could be seeing from the exciting winger.
Joint-top for assists at the World Cup
While James Rodriguez stole the show for Colombia by winning the Golden Boot in Brazil, teammate Cuadrado was providing assists. Take a look at some of the winger’s best performances for the Coffee Growers:
Cuadrado scored 11 goals in Serie A last season
It is very rare that a winger gets into double figures in Italy, though Cuadrado deviated from the norm. The 26-year-old managed 11 Serie A strikes and eight assists last term, helping Fiorentina to a fourth place finish. This term, he struck four to add to three assists in the league.
To score under 3.5 goals this season for Chelsea, he is odds-on at 4/7, while he is 5/4 to better that statistic. During his time at Fiorentina, he dispatched 26 goals in 106 appearances, contributing 21 assists, while last term, he notched up 15 and 11 respectively in 43 outings across all competitions.
Brings versatility to Chelsea
Being able to play in a number of positions is important for Jose Mourinho, though even more desirable for the Portuguese boss is a player’s work rate, something the Colombian has, unlike Andre Schurrle.
Due to Cuadrado’s energy and ability to play anywhere on the right flank, tracking back is ingrained in his blood and this combined with his direct, creative ability will only strengthen the Blues. He could also cut inside from the left should Eden Hazard fancy swapping wings.
Goal against Udinese in Coppa Italia semi-final second leg 2013/14
The player scored arguably the goal of the year in Italy last season in the second leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final against Udinese. Had it been a league match, it probably would have won the Serie A goal of the season award. It is worth a watch just to see Cuadrado’s dance moves. How long until John Terry tries to copy them?
Eligible for Champions League
One huge bonus for Chelsea is that Cuadrado will be able to play in the knockout phase of the Champions League. A player of this quality is going to give Mourinho’s side an extra dimension, if the Blues come up against the likes of Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. With Fiorentina only competing in the Europa League this term, in accordance to UEFA ruling, this allows Cuadrado to play for a team that are in the Champions League.
The Blues are 7/1 fourth favourites to win Europe’s elite club competition. Can Cuadrado help to make that happen, based on what you have seen above?
