Juan Cuadrado came to Stamford Bridge in January with high expectations, as Chelsea had hoped the now 27-year-old Colombian could fill the void left by departed midfielders André Schürrle and Mohamed Salah. But the winger, who arrived from Fiorentina with a £26.8 million price tag, was unable to make much of an impression in his half-season with Chelsea despite the Blues going on to win the Premier League and Capital One Cup.
Cuadrado made 12 appearances, including four starts, for Chelsea after his highly publicised move from Serie A, but the winger did not manage any goals or assists for the Blues. The Colombian is now being linked with a possible return to the Italian top flight after Gianluca Di Marzio has reported that Inter Milan and Chelsea have held talks about a possible loan for Cuadrado with a forced option to buy.
Di Marzio’s report indicates that Chelsea are open to the possible loan move, and that the talks that took place on Monday were productive and encouraging.
This is not the first time Cuadrado has been mentioned in relation to a return to Italy, as he has also been linked to Juventus in recent weeks. Cuadrado scored 20 goals in league play over three seasons at Fiorentina, and had scored four and registered four more assists in 17 league starts this season prior to his January transfer. Based on this production, the interest from Italian teams makes sense, as Cuadrado has proven himself to be a valuable asset in Serie A.
On the heels of a stellar 2014 World Cup, Cuadrado did not look nearly the same player in his limited action with Chelsea in the second half of the season, due in part to a need to acclimate himself to the Premier League. While his pace is well suited for football in England, the physicality of the Premiership is much different and Cuadrado has not managed to consistently impress for Chelsea thus far in his tenure in west London.
Chelsea manager José Mourinho has said that he expects Cuadrado to improve next season after having ample time to acclimatise himself in England, but that could change if talks with Inter progress further.
