Juan Cuadrado Is a Valuable Commodity, and Chelsea Should Cash in While They Can

There isn't a player who divides opinion at Chelsea quite like Juan Cuadrado.

On one side of the debate are those supporters enamoured by his exploits with Colombia and his time spent in Serie A with Fiorentina and on loan at Juventus last term. Then there are those still coming to terms with his disastrous first six months at Chelsea in 2014-15.

Cuadrado replaced Andre Schurrle that January, and his transfer completely tanked. So poor were the few appearances he made, the Colombian actually weakened Chelsea's squad. And the Blues had paid the best part of £24 million for the privilege.

New boss Antonio Conte was asked about Cuadrado's future in July, and he was emphatic in his assertion that he would remain a Chelsea player.

"He's in our squad, I'm very happy to have him and train him," Conte explained after taking charge of his first game against Rapid Vienna in pre-season. "I wanted him when I was a coach at Juventus, and he will come back very soon and train and play with us," he added.

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Part of that is true; Cuadrado's been back training with Chelsea, but he featured sparingly in the remaining pre-season matches since the Rapid outing. When the season kicked off on Monday night, Cuadrado wasn't even on the bench against West Ham United. Instead, we saw Victor Moses and Pedro as the back-up wingers to Eden Hazard and Willian.

It's one game in isolation, but with Cuadrado's Chelsea history, his exclusion hints at one thing: It doesn't matter that he lusted after the Colombian in a previous life, Conte's realised Chelsea have better and more reliable options ahead of him.

It's an element of trust that is the big issue with Cuadrado here. He may well have produced the goods with Fiorentina and Juventus, but repeating that with Chelsea is a whole different issue. He's known more for assisting opponents than he is team-mates, rarely producing anything positive in the few appearances he has made in Chelsea colours.

"

@garryhayes Would like to see him at the weekend. Still debating whether he's fits in, looks like Vic Mo has got that 4th winger spot.

— K T (@KevTembo) August 18, 2016"

Cuadrado has looked lost. Is it the transfer fee that's crippling him? Is he scarred by his first months at Chelsea? Does the ghost of Jose Mourinho still linger strong? Perhaps it's the system not suiting him?

The last point seems pertinent, as Cuadrado is more of an out-and-out winger than any of those Chelsea already boast in the squad. He'll hug the touchline and sit wide, which didn't work for Mourinho but fits at least in theory for what Conte is attempting to bring to Stamford Bridge.

There were moments on Monday night when the manager was incandescent with Hazard and Willian for not staying wide and drifting inside. Indeed, just before Chelsea's opening goal shortly after the interval, Conte had been busy giving Hazard a dressing down for playing too centrally.

That willingness to play wide is all Cuadrado has on his team-mates. He lacks the technical ability of them all—aside from Moses, arguably—and it's that creativity in the final third that Chelsea need to unlock defences when they're pushing opponents further back, as they did against the Hammers.

In Moses, Conte seems to have found the ideal player to implement the team ethic that he has preached since being officially unveiled. The Nigerian's pre-season was astonishing; his endeavour on the flanks was excellent and he's shown the manager that he can be manipulated to good effect.

Moses isn't a starter at Chelsea, but in those wide areas, Chelsea aren't looking for that. Conte needs squad players to support Hazard and the rest, which Moses very clearly is. He has shown he can follow Conte's instructions to maintain the team's shape late on in games as players grow fatigued after playing at intensity. Importantly, he's content in that role.

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Cuadrado feeds off something different. The cultural differences between Serie A and the Premier League go some way to explaining the indifference when it comes to his form, but so too does the environment.

At Fiorentina and Juventus, he had been a big part of the manager's plans. He had been a frequent first-choice selection—he featured 40 times in all competitions while on loan with Juve—and that allowed him to flourish. Cuadrado needs to feel the confidence of his manager, but at Chelsea, that love isn't forthcoming because of what he has to compete against.

Cuadrado isn't a starter at Chelsea, more a valuable commodity in the transfer market. This time last summer, his value had fallen well beyond what Chelsea had paid for him. Joining Juventus has helped restore that, and on the back of an impressive campaign, there's a case for the Blues at least getting back their investment, especially as transfer fees continue to be inflated.

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For a club that's attempting to live by financial fair play rules—not to mention needing to fill some pretty big gaps in their squad, namely defence—Chelsea can't ignore that. And Juventus have made no secret of their desire to bring Cuadrado back to Turin.

"We are keeping a close eye on the situation, with all due respect for Chelsea, who still own the player's rights," Juventus' general director Giuseppe Marotta told Sky Sport (h/t Evening Standard's Vaishali Bhardwaj). "Cuadrado is a player we like a lot. He has already had a positive experience at Juventus last season."

It's basic economics; you sell stocks at their peak and cash in while you can. That's the true value Cuadrado has at Chelsea. It certainly isn't as a footballer.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes taken first-hand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes