Juan
Cuadrado arrived at Chelsea from Fiorentina with a hefty £26m price tag
and huge expectations as a replacement for Andre Schurrle.
Since signing for Chelsea at the end of the January transfer
window Cuadrado has endured a slow start to his career at Stamford Bridge.
Already a host of pundits and some fans have started to write him off as an
‘invisible man’ and an example of failures in Chelsea’s transfer policies in
recent years.
This is short sighted and reactionary, ignoring the realities and
pace of modern football. Fans and the media need to remember that the Premier
League is far faster than the Italian league and it is reasonable for it take
time for him to adapt.
So far Cuadrado has been at Chelsea for just two months which is
no time at all. It is clear from his involvement so far that he is being given
time to adapt and his work rate has been good. Arriving to a balanced squad is
not easy and he was never going to waltz into this Chelsea side regardless of
his form.
His form has not been worthy of a £26m signing, he has lacked
impact in most of his appearances looking a yard of the pace and slightly
lightweight.
His Chelsea career so far consists of just two Premier League
starts and five substitute appearances, although he has already won a trophy
after featuring as a substitute in the Capital One Cup final.
His last appearance was as a substitute against Stoke and we
started to see signs of what attracted Chelsea to the Colombian in the first
place. He was quicker and more involved during his half an hour cameo even once
he got a clattering from Marc Wilson.
More time with the squad is required and he will be a player for
next season rather than the current one. It’s been a slow start for the
Colombian but it is still too early to brand him a flop.