Sometimes "dream transfers" don't really work out as planned, and that was certainly the case for Juan Cuadrado and his move to Chelsea. The Colombian international had dominated in Serie A but struggled to adjust to life under Jose Mourinho. Now he appears to be outside the manager's plans for the coming Premier League campaign.
Juventus pondering pursuing Chelsea’s Juan Cuadrado
After a disappointing six months in England, Juventus want to bring Cuadrado back to his Italian stomping grounds.
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That's opened up the rumor mill to the idea of Cuadrado returning to Italy's Serie A, a league that apparently better suits his pace and style. Several teams would seem to make sense as a destination for Cuadrado, but the rumor du jour has Cuadrado joining four-time defending Serie A champions Juventus. With Max Allegri trying to reshape his side after a couple big losses this summer, Cuadrado could give the Italian giants a big boost.
There are lots of reasons to think Juventus would jump at the chance to buy Cuadrado -- but there’s also plenty of reasons to question how realistic this rumor truly is.
Why it makes sense
While Allegri prefers a diamond midfield for his squad’s formation, he’s not at all adverse to using a back three or a 4-3-3. But right now he doesn’t have the right pieces to make those kinds of changes as fluidly as he might like. Cuadrado would give Allegri an important piece and get him closer to completing that puzzle. Capable of playing anywhere along the right flank, the Colombian can even play a little at striker or behind the strikers if need be. That versatility would be something Allegri would love to get on his side.
Cuadrado's ability to play wingback as well as wide forward would be a hard-to-resist option for Allegri to pounce on, especially with Juve trying to find a backup and heir to Stephan Lichtsteiner at right back and Mauricio Isla never playing at the level that the Bianconeri had hoped. With Juventus wanting to repeat their run to the Champions League final, and hopefully win it this time, they'll be eager to add as much quality as they can. Cuadrado would go a long ways towards that goal.
Why it doesn’t make sense
Cuadrado wouldn’t be guaranteed a regular starting spot on Juventus, with Lichtsteiner the locked-in right back and no other right-sided position guaranteed to be in any given match. While Cuadrado would likely be happy to leave Chelsea, he likely doesn’t want to walk into another situation containing uncertain playing time.
There’s also a question about how well Cuadrado fits with Juventus. While his overall quality is undeniable and his superiority as an attacking wingback over Lichsteiner is clear, he’s neither as good a defender as the big Swiss international at the back nor as well-rounded a wide forward as Allegri likes higher up the pitch. He definitely can make an impact for Juventus, but whether or not he or the Bianconeri are willing to make the necessary adjustments to integrate him is a matter of some debate.
Likelihood it happens
While this type of rumor is always an easy one to generate, there’s too many question marks and doubts surrounding the fit. Still, Juventus need to add quality, which Cuadrado offers, and Chelsea are fiscally stable enough to offer them a deal structured in a way that makes sense for them, so you can’t totally eliminate all chance of this deal happening. With that in mind, we’ll give this rumor a 4/10 chance of coming to pass.
This is a post from our transfer rumors section. For news, analysis and more, check out the main SB Nation Soccer page.
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