It can be hard to integrate one’s self into an outfit battling for the Premier League title. It has been this very scenario Juan Cuadrado has found himself in since arriving at Stamford Bridge from Fiorentina in January.
Thus far, the Colombian international hasn’t blown anyone away, so much so that he has even been lamented by a section of Blues fans who in recent years have been used to the very best talents plying their trade at Stamford Bridge.
Cuadrado has been part of Chelsea’s matchday squad on nine occasions thus far, starting at home to Burnley and appearing from the bench three times against Everton, Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham.
An unused substitute on all of the other occasions, although competition for places is stiff under Jose Mourinho, this suggests he hasn’t done enough to dislodge the tireless Willian from the side.
Although it would be foolish to write Cuadrado off so early in his Blues career, as Mohamed Salah has found, the Blues always seem to have a surplus of speedy wingers, some of which haven’t covered themselves in glory, thus finding themselves being shown the exit door before too long.
Here are five Chelsea wing men that Cuadrado won’t be looking to emulate anytime soon.
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Click on Jose Mourinho to reveal the 5 Chelsea wing men who Juan Cuadrado won’t be looking to emulate.
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Marko Marin
Remember him? Blink and you would’ve missed Marko Marin’s six Premier League appearances for the Blues in the 2012/13 campaign.
He is remarkably still a Blues player and is currently out on loan in Belgian football with Anderlecht following similar temporary spells away at Sevilla and Fiorentina.
While Anderlecht are a stellar name in Belgian football, they aren’t in Europe and this move serves to suggest how far Marin has fallen since his days at Werder Bremen where he was one of the most sought-after young footballers in the Bundesliga.
Shaun Wright-Phillips
Somehow still managing to earn a Premier League wage with QPR, Shaun Wright-Phillips deserves his place in this roll of dishonour after being brought to Stamford Bridge for a whopping £21 million in 2005 in the height of the Roman Abramovich investment years.
The sheer fact that he re-signed for the club he originally departed in the form of Manchester City, this shows that Wright-Phillips’ career in West London was ultimately a failure.
With wingers expected to chip in with their fair share of goals in the modern game, the fact that SWP only managed to register four in 81 Premier League appearances suggests he was clearly suffering from becoming the ultimate bit-part player between 2005 and 2008.
Yossi Benayoun
Yossi Benayoun was something of a success in English football, remembering his spells at West Ham United and Liverpool with fondness but it was his switch to Chelsea in 2010 that ultimately proved a mistake.
The fact Benayoun was allowed to join fierce London rivals Arsenal in the 2011/12 campaign tells you all you need to know about how he wasn’t really part of the Blues’ plans.
Fast forward a few years and can you really see Jose Mourinho lending Arsene Wenger any of his players, let alone a below par one?
Yuri Zhirkov
With Roman Abramovich at the helm, wouldn’t it have been nice for a fellow Russian to have succeeded on the field under the control of the mega wealthy owner?
Sadly for Yuri Zhirkov, he turned out to be one of Chelsea’s most costly mistakes, arriving at Stamford Bridge for a huge £18 million back in July 2009.
Capable of performing on both the left wing and deeper at left back, Zhirkov didn’t cover himself in glory in either position and now finds himself back in the Russian Premier League with his tail between his legs.
That said, he’s probably on massive wages over there so he can’t be considered a total failure!
Mohamed Salah
The most recent example of a terrible winger at Stamford Bridge, Mohamed Salah just hasn’t been able to live up to the billing in the blue shirt.
Currently on loan in Serie A with Fiorentina, the Egyptian international has found himself back on the goal trail again and has performed so impressively that some Blues fans are pondering whether to recall him following the 2014/15 campaign after all.
That said, he wasn’t brought in by Jose Mourinho as an automatic first choice option and is likely to be sold to the Viola permanently following a below par start to life in London.
