Juan Cuadrado to Juventus: Chelsea winger completes season-long loan move to Italian champions after no goals in 14 appearances

Cuadrado joined Chelsea on 2 February this year but his loan move appears to spell the end of his Blues career

Jack de Menezes
Tuesday 25 August 2015 15:32 BST
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Juan Cuadrado joins Juventus on a season-long loan
Juan Cuadrado joins Juventus on a season-long loan

Juventus have completed the signing of Chelsea winger Juan Cuadrado on a season-long loan deal, just seven months after the Colombian moved to Stamford Bridge from Fiorentina in a £24m deal.

27-year-old Cuadrado came off the bench in the 3-0 defeat to Manchester City for his sole appearance of the season, and having failed to score in any of his 14 appearances last term – 12 of which were in the Premier League – manager Jose Mourinho has clearly seen something in the attacking midfielder that suggests he doesn’t have the talent to cut it at Chelsea.

The only thing that Cuadrado was able to achieve regularly was to be booked, as the winger picked up four yellow cards during his brief time in London, yet he departs with a Premier League and League Cup double to his name.

Cuadrado was one of those among Colombia’s international squad that impressed at the 2014 World Cup, yet he was unable to convert that form to the Premier League and always looked the most likely to leave the club this summer.

That almost looked inevitable when Pedro arrived from Barcelona in a £21.1m deal, and after undergoing a medical in Turin, Cuadrado has agreed a one-year loan deal with the Italian champions.

"We all know that Juve is a great club, among the best teams in Europe. They have everything to win the Scudetto (Serie A)," Cuadrado said on the club's official website.

"I hope I can give Juventus my best, 100 per cent. I didn't expect to receive such a warm welcome from the fans in Italy but they have always welcomed me with open arms and that makes me very happy.

"The fans' support will give me further motivation to do well."

Juan Cuadrado lifts the Premier League trophy in May

There is no suggestion that Cuadrado's move to Juventus will form part of negotiations for Pogba, but providing the Italian champions with a ready-made replacement should they agree to sell their star player won't do any harm.

It's understood Chelsea are ready to pay £70m to secure the services of Pogba.

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