Juan Cuadrado To Chelsea FC For £32m? No Way!

With a bit of a dead morning news wise, in the run up to various manager’s press conferences ahead of the Champions League matches this week, it’s interesting to see that now Chelsea are ‘hotly linked’ to signing Columbian Juan Cuadrado from Italian Serie A side, Fiorentina.

So what’s the plausibility of this transfer rumour gaining any substance and the actual chances of seeing Juan Cuadrado to Chelsea come February 1st?

First off, let’s remind ourselves that Jose Mourinho and the Chelsea FC board seem to be taking FFP very seriously – at least so far.

Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

We all know that to sign anyone in January, you must have a serious problem that needs a good, quick solution due to the higher asking prices normally asked for in this transfer window.

So, do Chelsea need a right sided midfielder? OK, stupid question!

With Willian, Schurrle, Oscar, Salah and even Hazard if really pushed, the Blues would have to be looking at a truly calamitous series of events to even think about a new midfielder.

But what about a right back? Defence is probably the one key area that Chelsea are susceptible in, but that said, Azpilicueta, Ivanovic, and Kurt Zouma can all play that position if required, so again, not much room for Cuadrado.

So why on earth would Jose Mourinho want to bring in a 26 year old midfielder who had a great World Cup, but hasn’t been on anyone’s radar until then?

Furthermore, £32 million? Seriously?

So who are the challengers to sign him? For me, the more clubs chasing a player, the more significant the rumour that the player wants to move and is seriously looking for a top quality berth.

As far as I can see, it is (according to reports) only Chelsea and Manchester United, of which the latter I can understand, given their reliance on a very strong left side, but a right side that is seriously lacking balance. But not Chelsea.

In my opinion, and I stand to be proved wrong, there are far better players, in more important areas of the pitch to spend that kind of money on for this rumour to have that much standing.

Verdict: Busted!