Barcelona and Juan Cuadrado - Not made for each other!

Juan Cuadrado, the Colombian star who had a wonderful World Cup, has been chased by the top clubs of the football world since the tournament ended. FC Barcelona, Manchester United FC and Chelsea FC are some of the clubs wanting to obtain his services. Initially, a move to Manchester United seemed to be a possibility but the player has been inclined to join Barcelona ever since it joined the race to get him. Barcelona has put up a remarkable squad for the upcoming season and the only position giving them worries is the Right Back position. Even if they decide for a 3-4-3 position, they need a capable right-wing-back to handle the right side.

The alternatives that Barcelona has at the moment are Martin Montoya and Dani Alves. Martin Montoya is still not expected to step up and take charge of the right side and he won’t be expected to play all the matches of the season. As good a player as Dani Alves is, his form has been dipping and Barcelona wouldn’t want to keep that area weak. Another dilemma for the club is the transfer ban that is thrust upon them for the next two transfer windows. If they don’t manage to strengthen that position now, the possibility of them signing a replacement soon would be very low.

Is Juan Cuadrado the answer to these worries? Can he effectively handle the position of a right-wing-back, who would mainly play as a defender? The Barca fans surely back the groundwork that Luis Enrique, the manager, might have done but to play a converted defender in such a crucial position might be a huge gamble. Barcelona requires a right-back who is more efficient at defending rather than being on the attack all the time. His attacking qualities as a right-winger might create havoc in the opposite half but he is not so competent to defend a Ronaldo or a Bale.

Recently, there has been news of Barcelona losing interest in Cuadrado despite of sending Deulofeu to Sevilla for a season-long loan. The reason for backing out of the race is because of the high price tag that the Italian club, Fiorentina, has put up. Barcelona does not rate the player to be worth €40 million and are hesitant to go for him after the ban that has been imposed on the club. Manchester United was reportedly ready to shell out the high price for the player but Cuadrado wanted to give the first preference to Barcelona and thus the transfer did not pan out.

Barcelona won’t gamble a huge price for a converted defender and the chances of Cuadrado joining the Catalan club have reduced substantially. In stalling Manchester United, he might just have missed a move to Manchester too. Would he regret his stance or is there another twist in the story? The answer to this mystery would be available in 10 days.