Arsenal are very interested in signing Juan Cuadrado (again) and had a £17.6m bid rejected by Juventus.
Arsene Wenger is reportedly on the hunt to find a replacement for Alexis Sanchez (whom he says he isn’t selling) and Juan Cuadrado seems like a perfect option, despite his failure to make an impact with Chelsea. He is a player Wenger tried to sign before he rocked up at Chelsea, so what’s all the fuss about?
At 29 with plenty of experience, Cuadrado is at the peak of his career, playing his best football. Ever since arriving from Colombia in 2008, the player has has played for a few clubs in Italy. He even had a short stint in Chlesea before he eventually moved on loan to Juventus who made it permanent after three seasons at the club.
Cuadrado participated in 45 games last season, scoring three goals and making 10 assists in all competitions.
Strengths
Juan Cuadrado is an offensive winger but can be deployed in every role on the right side of the pitch. He has even been used as one of the strikers and in the central midfield.
Dribbling is his strongest trait and he uses it to take advantage of the opposition. Because of his ability to take on his opponents (60.53% success rate), he often gets fouled, on average 2.5 times per-game.
His crossing and ability to make key passes makes him a very good winger who has an eye for distributing balls to dangerous areas. He creates an average of 1.57 chances, 1.37 key passes per-game and maintains an 86% pass accuracy.
He also has a decent long shots and is capable of finishing attacking moves with a goal.
Next, Cuadrado’s weaknesses
Weaknesses
Cuadrado is very weak at aerial duels, winning just one out of five. At 5″8′, he really should improve that part of his game, especially with the amount of experience he’s had throughout his career.
He can also get easily distracted and make a few wrong moves on the pitch, allowing his opponents to exploit his side of the pitch. His pace can often save him from those mistakes, but that also means he needs to make tackles to stop his opponents. He makes an average of 1.3 tackles per-game and 1.2 fouls, that often lead him to picking up cards.
Last season he collected 10 yellow and one red card which was the result of receiving a second yellow. To make things worse, it was in the Champions League final.
He should learn to be more careful in the future and needs to work on that aspect of his game.
Next, Cuadrado’s potential at Arsenal
Potential at Arsenal
The 29-year-old would definitely become a first team starter if he was to arrive at the Emirates, especially on the right side of the pitch where his quality is among the best wingers in the world.
Arsenal have been rather thin on the right flank, and a player of Cuadrado’s quality should have been bought much sooner, as Walcott and Oxlade-Chamberlain have both struggled to fill that position in the last couple of seasons.
Juventus will be reluctant to sell the player, but with recent negotiations regarding the future of Wojciech Szczesny and his potential move to Juventus, Arsenal could use this interest to offer some kind of trade to the Italians.
Cuadrado is most likely to be available for a fee of around £20-25m and with Szczesny on offer, the price could probably be lowered to at least £10-15m.
Next, Cuadrado’s skills and goals
Cuadrado’s skills and goals
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co74L6GR4Ys