---
title: "Shocker: Juan Cuadrado to Chelsea"
canonical: "https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/shocker-juan-cuadrado-to-chelsea/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Alex Rigby"
section: "Chelsea Football Club"
published: "2019-05-14T05:00:52Z"
modified: "2019-05-14T05:00:52Z"
---

# Shocker: Juan Cuadrado to Chelsea

**Juan Cuadrado is a Chelsea signing most would rather forget, particularly Jose Mourinho – the man responsible for the deal.**

The winter transfer window is a devilishly unpredictable beast that will, on first instance, appear to offer you its unconditional love and loyalty before viciously bucking you off into a canyon stacked with nettles, snakes, spiders, cat wee, sharp rocks and the skeletons of Cuadrado and Fernando Torres.

Cloudy with a chance of flop was the weather forecast in January 2015 as Colombian Juan Cuadrado made his [£26.3million move over from Fiorentina](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/chelsea/11385157/Juan-Cuadrado-joins-Chelsea-in-23.3m-deal.html). And on paper, this really shouldn’t have been the case. Having developed a reputation as one of Europe’s most dangerous talents thanks to his performances for I Viola, Cuadrado struggled miserably to earn the trust of the notoriously hard-to-please boss, Jose Mourinho.

Why, you might ask? Well, there are a few good reasons as to why the Colombian didn’t get his chance to shine in blue. For example, the skilful brilliance of Cuadrado, a man known for throwing a few tricks in his life, was incompatible with the methodical, sometimes unattractive style of Jose Mourinho – much in the same way that sticking some tinsel and ribbon on industrial revolution cotton-spinning machinery wouldn’t make it any safer for the children stuck underneath it.

“He needs time,” the Chelsea manager [said](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/chelsea/11513926/How-Juan-Cuadrado-became-Chelseas-26m-Invisible-Man.html) in the wake of the winger’s somewhat staggered introduction to Premier League football. “I know Italy and I know the difference between Italy and England. His formation, his development, his experience – everything was in Italy. Stability, time, integration – I think we will see the best Cuadrado next year.”

And he was right – we did see the best of the winger the following year…just not at Stamford Bridge.

Current club Juventus came knocking in August 2015 and he hasn’t looked back since.

***Chelsea fans, where does Cuadrado rank as one of your club’s worse signings? Let us know in the comments below!***