Juan Cuadrado to Chelsea: Everything You Need to Know About Blues' New Signing

In Juan Guillermo Cuadrado, Chelsea are getting a player who will work harder and show more defensive discipline in wide areas than Andre Schurrle and Mohamed Salah.  

Chelsea confirmed the move on the final day of the January transfer window via a club release.

The Fiorentina winger has agreed a deal worth £26.1 million with the Blues, per Sky Sports, is more suited to the demands of manager Jose Mourinho.

The Portuguese boss usually insists on players who combine skill, flair and creativity with a high work rate. Essentially, that's Cuadrado in a nutshell.

His most obvious forward-thinking quality is his pace. B/R analyst Sam Tighe described Cuadrado as a player who "could win a foot race with a gazelle:"

Elsewhere, Daily Mirror writer Adam Digby has also lauded Cuadrado's knack for stretching defences: "Watching him closely, it is impossible not to notice Cuadrado's blistering speed, with his acceleration from a standing start particularly eye-catching."

Digby even stated Cuadrado combines his cheetah-like qualities with skill akin to Chelsea's own mercurial trickster Eden Hazard. Like the precocious Belgian, Cuadrado embodies many of the qualities of a classic winger, as this statistic from Opta Paolo demonstrates:

However, for all his potential as an attacking outlet, there are dissenting voices who claim Cuadrado doesn't offer enough going forward.

Metro writer Anthony Williams contends Cuadrado won't be able to weave his way through Premier League defences so often. Williams also bemoaned Cuadrado's feeble form in front of goal.

That's a view not entirely without merit. Cuadrado has struck just six goals from 22 appearances in all competitions this season, per WhoScored.com. Digby noted that his overall record for La Viola is 20 goals in 84 games.

Those are hardly numbers that are likely to find Cuadrado in the Stamford Bridge record books any time soon. That's why it'll be his other qualities Mourinho has coveted.

The Chelsea gaffer will usually make room for one so-called "luxury player" in his squad. You know the type, the flamboyant star who doesn't work as hard as the others but is often excused because of the ability to win matches via individual brilliance.

Hazard has that role all to himself in the current Chelsea squad. The rest are worker bees offering ample quality to go with their graft.

This is where Cuadrado makes the most sense. He'll provide greater balance on the opposite flank from Hazard.

Alastair Grant/Associated Press

As someone who's often played right-back during his time in Serie A, Cuadrado is defensively aware. He won't lose discipline and fail to track runners on the break.

A Pitchside Europe report for Yahoo Sport noted how Cuadrado started as a right-back in his native Colombia and was even touted as a replacement for Barcelona's Dani Alves.

The same report also notes how the player can be used in central midfield if needed. That's a testament to his solid physique, something that could help a quick transition to the rough and tumble environment of England's top flight.

Mourinho's getting a jack of all trades who at his best can provide moments of inspiration. He'll at least forage for the ball and work to create chances.

At 26, Cuadrado is also a player hitting his prime years. He emerged at Independiente Medellin before getting his big break with a move to Udinese in 2009.

Yet it wasn't all plain sailing during his first experience of life in Serie A. Cuadrado was loaned out to Lecce in 2011, before being sold to Fiorentina in 2012.

Since moving to Italy though, Cuadrado's reputation has steadily grown internationally. He's earned 37 caps and scored five goals for his homeland, according to Sky Sports reporter Peter Smith.

Ultimately, Cuadrado rates as a solid talent, with the potential to be more. Mourinho is rolling the dice he's got the player at exactly the right time in his career, when he's ready to make that jump.