Did Chelsea Make a Mistake in Signing Juan Cuadrado?

Let's not talk about Juan Cuadrado's ability as a footballer.

That article has been written and re-written on enough occasions—perhaps too much for some—that the debate needs to be moved on.

With transfer deadline day looming, Chelsea have to face facts where the Colombian is concerned: They've been sold a dud, and now it's impacting them off the pitch.

The time's come for Chelsea to save face—and potentially their season—by doing something about it.

A lack of activity this summer has amplified the holes that appeared in Jose Mourinho's squad last term. The need to relieve the burden on Eden Hazard hasn't been addressed, Chelsea are light in defence and also need another midfielder.

The business we expected hasn't been done. John Obi Mikel, Ramires and other fringe players are still prevalent in a squad that needs reshaping, and Chelsea are threatening to fall behind their rivals as a result.

The Cuadrado issue is a big'un.

His presence this summer has meant Mourinho's hands have been tied in the transfer market. Chelsea have needed to strengthen in attacking midfield, yet given the club's apparent reluctance in addressing a lack of depth and talent, the manager must work with what he has.

And what he has is a player whose lack of impact has served as a reflection of the struggles his team now faces.

Cuadrado represents the naivety of the past two transfer windows that has damaged Chelsea's superiority in the Premier League.

Kirsty Wigglesworth/Associated Press

From being lauded for the way they conducted business this time last summer, Chelsea have suddenly taken their foot off the pedal and allowed everyone else to catch up.

The concern now is they have been overtaken.

Almost nine months on, the Cuadrado signing remains baffling. Back in January, there were questions over the move, and they haven't gone away.

Andre Schurrle was proven at Chelsea. His form had dipped pre-Christmas, and he seemed to be suffering the after-effects of the World Cup, but his debut campaign at Stamford Bridge told us all we needed to know about him.

The German wasn't prolific, yet he did have a knack for scoring big goals in the big moments—the biggest of all coming when he clawed Chelsea back into their Champions League tie with Paris Saint-Germain.

He also racked up a hat-trick against Fulham and found the net in matches against Manchester City (on two occasions) and Arsenal.

Schurrle gave Chelsea width, scored goals and made them more direct at times when they needed to be.

Other than being a winger, Cuadrado's qualities are far from what Chelsea needed as they looked to replace Schurrle.

Rui Vieira/Associated Press

We hear his value comes in the form of assists, but his last two full seasons at Fiorentina before his move don't support that claim, regardless of how he performed for Colombia at Brazil 2014.

In 2012/13, Cuadrado registered six assists in 34 Serie A games. In 2013/14, he followed that up with five.

Those stats confirm one thing about Cuadrado—that he'd found his level with a plucky Serie A team. In terms of his attacking threat, he wasn't the type of player who could come into this Chelsea team and add an extra dynamic.

What Chelsea were guilty of was setting the bar too low. In a market where we're seeing their rivals think big to target improvements on their current players, Chelsea paid Fiorentina £26.1 million to actually weaken their team.

Ever since, Mourinho's squad has been light. Chelsea had to win the Premier League with the usual suspects and in 2015/16, they're asking them to do the same.

Take any of Hazard, Willian or Oscar out of the line-up and where does the creative edge come from?

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

We can point to Victor Moses, but that would be unfair on a player who has been farmed out on loan for two seasons without exactly standing out.

Bertrand Traore is an untested 19-year-old, although Kenedy's display against Barcelona in pre-season was encouraging. The Brazilian's only problem is that he doesn't have a work permit, so he can't play.

It seems Chelsea have left too much to chance, of which Cuadrado is symbolic.

If Chelsea don't add another attacking midfielder to the squad before the transfer window is out, Mourinho's left with three starters, an uninspiring former loanee, an inexperienced youngster, an illegal alien (in the broadest sense) and a dud.

It's hardly a recipe for success, or a recipe to defend a title.

The starting XI is near perfection, but what's beyond that is a concern. Chelsea should have trimmed the fat and made replacements this summer, which they haven't.

That means offloading those who are no longer assets—players like Ramires, Mikel and, yes, Cuadrado. In their place should have been some experience, with spaces left open for Traore and Chelsea's other emerging talent to fill.

Cuadrado's working on many levels; he's blocking the pathway of younger players, his transfer fee dictating that Chelsea can't buy elsewhere.

All the while, he's not doing anything to condone that position.

Chelsea signing Cuadrado wasn't a mistake. It was a catastrophe.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes