After spending only a little more than six months with English squad Chelsea, Colombian midfielder Juan Cuadrado arrived in Turin, Italy to pass medical exams and sign a one-year loan with Italian powerhouse Juventus, where he was received by a screaming mob of fans.
Despite showing promise during Copa América, it seems like the Colombian player didn’t do enough to impress Portuguese Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, who sent him back to Italy after a six-month stint at the Premier. Juventus fans were happy, with good reason. The Colombian player has spent a total of seven seasons in the Serie A: three with Udinese, one with Lecce, and three with Fiorentina, a team where he had his best plays and impressed many around the world. Juventus fans know him; they know what they are getting, and therefore aren’t afraid to show their excitement.
After being close to winning the Champions League last season, the Italian squad has undergone a sort of renovation. They signed Croatian striker Mario Mandžukić, Argentine Paulo Dybala, and German World Champion Sami Khedira. On the downside though, they lost what many considered their best player, Chilean Arturo Vidal. In addition, Chelsea appears to be after Paul Pogba (which would be a huge loss) and Sevilla is apparently interested in Spaniard Fernando Llorente. Cuadrado’s arrival could simply not have come at a better time.
After all, Juventus opened the 2015-2016 season with a home loss against Udinese, putting an end to 40-something undefeated home games.
So as they say in Italy, benvenuto Cuadrado – in bocca al lupo.