Tuesday, February 25, 2014

4 goals from 6 starts on left wing - £25m Arsenal linked star shows where he fits in



4 goals from 6 starts on left wing - £25m Arsenal linked star shows where he fits in

Juan Cuadrado netted again for Fiorentina, continuing to show where he fits in for Arsenal.
Colombian winger Juan Cuadrado was said to be scouted by Arsenal earlier in the season, with the Fiorentina ace welcoming the interest.
The 25-year-old is right footed and plays typically on the right of midfield, making Arsenal's interest a little perplexing, with Theo Walcott, Serge Gnabry and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlai already able to play in the position.
Yet in recent months Cuadrado has been proving his worth out on the left wing, where the Gunners have no natural outlet - Santi Cazorla and Lukas Podoski rotate but are not orthodox wingers.
He has made six starts on the left wing for Fiorentina this season in either Serie A or the Europa League, including last night's game with Parma, and has netted four times from the position.
This is in comparison to the three goals he has scored from 15 Serie A or Europa League starts in the centre or on the right of midfield, and three substitute appearances.
It's on the left that the winger would be a welcome fit for Arsenal, emerging as one of the most exciting options alongside Antoine Griezmann should Arsene Wenger move for left-sided player in the summer.
Cuadrado averages 2.8 shots per game and 4.4 successful dribbling attempts in all competitions, 4.1 in Serie A, the highest by some distance in the division - with Ricky Alvarez' 3.3 per game the closest.
With six assists also to his name it is no surprise Europes big guns are sitting up and taking notice, with recent reports in The Mirror claiming Bayern Munich are interested in his signature.
His signature would not be a straightforward one however. Fiorentina co-own him with Udinese, and want to buy their fellow Serie A club's 50 per cent stake out.
They are apparently open to a sale at around £25 million reports claim, but only when they have negotiated the entirety of Cuadrado's rights, in order to maximise their profit.
Juventus are also interested, and with Cuadrado likely to play a starring role for Colombia at the World Cup, there's no quick deal for Arsenal to do here.
Yet his form suggests he could be worth waiting for, and may just provide them with an extra dimension to light up their attack.
http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2014/02/24/4-goals-from-6-starts-on-left-wing-25m-arsenal-linked-star-shows/

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