Juventus Hope to Bring the Best from on-Loan Chelsea Star Juan Cuadrado

A summer of surprising acquisitions continued for Juventus this week, the Bianconeri adding yet another name to the impressive squad now at Massimiliano Allegri’s disposal. With Alex Sandro moving from FC Porto just last week, the Serie A champions have followed that up by loaning Juan Cuadrado from Chelsea.

The Brazilian’s move to Turin was discussed in this previous column, and now fellow South American Cuadrado returns to Italy just seven months after he left Fiorentina. The switch to Stamford Bridge back in January came at a cost of £23.3 million, according to BBC Sport, with the player signing a four-and-a-half year contract.

“It is like a dream to join the Chelsea family and to know that the manager believes in me,” he told Chelsea’s official website, but there is very little evidence that was true. Cuadrado made just 15 appearances under Jose Mourinho, with all but five of them coming from the bench and totalling just 364 minutes of action.

Failing to register a single goal, it was a remarkable downturn of form for a player who had been such a devastating force during his time in Italy. The Colombian arrived on the peninsula back in 2009, starting out with two solid, if unspectacular, seasons at Udinese and a third on loan with Lecce.

In July 2012, he was on the move again, Fiorentina first taking him on loan and then in co-ownership. His time with La Viola would see him mature into a genuine attacking threat. Cuadrado’s first campaign saw him record five goals and six assists, but it would be in the 2013/14 season that he would truly make his mark.

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Netting 13 times and adding eight assists in all competitions, he would prove a particularly difficult opponent for Juventus as Fiorentina defeated them 4-2 that October. After the visitors had taken a two-goal lead into the half-time interval, Vincenzo Montella’s side came out firing in the second half, and the winger tormented the Bianconeri every time he received the ball.

His breakaway run as Juve sought an equaliser led to Giuseppe Rossi’s third goal of the game, and it was a perfect combination of Cuadrado’s best attributes. At the end of the campaign, Fiorentina would purchase him outright, the total fee reaching €21 million, per Fiorentina.it (link in Italian), but he would continue to prove excellent value for money.

As 2014/15 got underway, the 27-year-old picked up where he had left off, bagging five goals before his move to England. It is that player Juventus will hope to see pulling on their famous black-and-white-striped shirt, rediscovering his best form after leaving Chelsea—just as Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne did.

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Tuesday afternoon saw Juventus officially announce the move on the club’s website, signing a contract to confirm his season-long loan. “I wasn’t expecting such a welcome, but to feel the warmth of the people and of Italy, where I’ve always been accommodated very well, it makes me feel happy,” he said, per Juventus' website (h/t Football Italia), as fans greeted him the previous evening.

“To feel as welcome as this gives me more strength to do well,” he continued, and Cuadrado undoubtedly adds another weapon to the Juventus squad. “We want to give Allegri the best possible players to work with,” director general Beppe Marotta told Sport Mediaset (h/t FourFourTwo) this past weekend.

“The opportunity to get Cuadrado presented itself and we took it. Now it's up to Allegri, who is an excellent coach,” he continued.

Everyone connected with the Old Lady will hope Juan Cuadrado and his new boss can do just that.