Juan Cuadrado is a great talent who will breathe new life into Chelsea... the way he goes past people reminds me of Ronaldinho

• Juan Cuadrado joined Chelsea in a £27million transfer deadline day deal 
• Midfielder shone for Colombia during the World Cup last summer 
• Cuadrado could make his debut at Aston Villa on Saturday afternoon

By Martin Keown for the Daily Mail

Published: 17:31 EST, 6 February 2015 | Updated: 07:53 EST, 7 February 2015

I saw Juan Cuadrado playing for Colombia against Uruguay at the World Cup last year. When Chelsea signed him, I went back and looked through my notes from that game. Two words were underlined: great talent.

Cuadrado has the pace, skill and imagination to breathe new life into Chelsea. Make no mistake, this boy can play.

In that last-16 game against Uruguay he was overshadowed by a fantastic performance from James Rodriguez but Cuadrado was one of the stars of the tournament.

Juan Cuadrado poses with the Chelsea shirt after joining the club for £27million on transfer deadline day

Cuadrado (left) was one of the standout performers at last summer's World Cup for Colombia

Cuadrado's (left) style of play fits in perfectly with manager Jose Mourinho’s ‘new’ Chelsea

The Colombia international's attacking flair is reminiscent to Ronaldinho's (right) during his Barcelona days

The way he goes past people with a quick shimmy reminds me of Ronaldinho. He dribbles at pace effortlessly and his spider-like legs seem able to control the ball in the tightest spaces. Even his hairstyle is similar to the great Brazilian. He plays with a smile on his face and is the kind of player who gets people out of their seats.

He fits in perfectly with Jose Mourinho’s ‘new’ Chelsea - a creative winger capable of unlocking the door. Mourinho clearly didn’t fancy Andre Schurrle and swapping him for Cuadrado shows how far the Portuguese boss has evolved.

Ten years ago, Schurrle would have been the perfect fit for Jose’s title-winning Chelsea side. He is a stereotypical German player - mechanical and efficient - and was excellent as a super-sub at the World Cup. But he was too robotic for the new Mourinho.

Now Jose has a squad bursting with creative talent. If Schurrle was a functional part of the engine then Cuadrado is the spark to get Chelsea in gear.

They have looked leggy in recent weeks, particularly against Manchester City after that epic semi-final against Liverpool, and Jose will be delighted to have a new face to freshen things up.

Jose Mourinho: Transfer of Juan Cuadrado is not a panic buy

Cuadrado replaces Andre Schurrle who was sold to Bundesliga side Wolfsburg for £24million

Schurrle poses with Wolfsburg coach Dieter Hecking (left) and sporting director Klaus Allofs (right)

Eden Hazard, Oscar and Willian have been exceptional this season, but they play at such a high intensity that they need someone to share the load. Having Cuadrado as another option will help them recharge their batteries. Mourinho clearly felt unable to trust Schurrle and Mohamed Salah with that role and they were ruthlessly shipped out last month.

Cuadrado will have to pull his weight. Jose will drill those defensive responsibilities into him but there will be no worries about his attacking prowess.

He is just as energetic as the rest of the Chelsea midfield but where Hazard and Willian often cut inside and move across the pitch, the Colombian loves to go down the line.

One of his favourite moves is to drive straight at a defender, stop them in their tracks and throw a feint before charging past in the outside lane. He is so explosive from a standing start that he knows he has the beating of his man over a short distance.

Sometimes he’s quite old-fashioned and he’s not afraid of a bit of push-and-run. I’m sure the late, great Sir Stanley Matthews, who retired 50 years ago on Friday, would have enjoyed watching him.

Cuadrado's attacking qualities will give Chelsea an added edge as they chase three trophies this season

Cuadrado's arrival will serve as added competition to Oscar (left) and Eden Hazard (centre) at the Blues

It will be interesting to see how Mourinho uses Cuadrado. He has the flexibility to play on either side or through the middle, but the most important thing he brings is increased competition for places. Chelsea were guilty of complacency last year, and that’s why they lost the title.

Oscar downed tools in readiness for the World Cup, Mourinho had a pop at Hazard for not working hard enough and they lost games you would never expect a Mourinho side to lose - Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Sunderland.

With a player of Cuadrado’s quality arriving, there is no way any players will be dropping into their comfort zone.

Internal competition has to be fierce if you want to reach the top and if Jose doesn’t like you, it won’t be long before he cuts you adrift.

Mourinho has previously talked about some of his players as ‘untouchable’. He has his favourites now but with Cuadrado’s talent, there might be a few unhappy faces as the fight for places heats up.

Juan Cuadrado signs for Chelsea in £27m transfer from Fiorentina

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